U.S. President Barack Obama is leading the charge for more controls on gun sales and including expanded background checks.

Fear of new restrictions are leading to a spike in U.S. gun sales.

According to the FBI, a record 3.3 million people applied for a background check for a firearm last month.

For the whole of 2015, the number was over 23 million.

Smart gun technology as the solution to gun violence

One potential answer to tackling gun violence is smart gun technology.

Its aim is to ensure that only a gun’s owner is able to fire the weapon. Several kinds of smart guns are now in development.

CCTV America’s Hendrik Sybrandy reports.

Robert Spitzer on US gun controls

CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to Robert Spitzer. He has written five books and is the Chair of the Cortland Political Science Department at the State University of New York.