GOP may try to block Obama’s new executive actions. It’s worked for them before.

President Obama’s new executive actions on gun control go after arguably the most powerful interest groups in the country – there’s almost no way that the gun lobby would go down without a fight. But thanks to past setbacks, the administration should now be prepared, particularly since the president is keenly aware of what happens when his plans aren’t bulletproof.

When Obama unveiled his series of steps to reduce gun violence on Tuesday, the circumstances behind his announcement felt like déjà vu. Disappointed by a narrow defeat of legislation that could have addressed a major problem and frustrated over inaction in Congress, Obama vowed to take what steps he could on his own. He didn’t have an election to worry about or hold him back. Plus a broad swath of the American public agreed that the existing system was broken. The move was undeniably controversial politically, but it was a calculated decision with human interest outweighing the costs.

It’s the same series of events that led Obama to take sweeping action on immigration in 2014 to shield millions of people from deportation. Just as with his gun control moves Tuesday, the president promised then that his immigration measures were lawful and within his executive powers. He assured the immigrant community that they would be safe and the measures would be rolled out within due time.

Instead, 5 million immigrants are still waiting for that day to come.

It’s been 18 months since Obama pledged to protect millions of immigrants from deportation, 13 months since he formally unveiled his plan and seven months since the bulk of those who qualified were supposed to start sending in their applications for temporary legal status. Yet thanks to a series of legal challenges and the administration’s own unforced errors, the immigration actions have been on hold and will likely continue to be frozen until the waning days of Obama’s presidency.

It’s a preview of the types of hurdles that the president will likely face in trying to expand background checks for online gun purchases. Opponents fiercely defend their Second Amendment rights and the power of the gun lobby is far-reaching. It’s only a matter of time before the lawsuits start flying to challenge the gun control actions in the courts.

“His executive order will no doubt be challenged in the courts,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement on Tuesday. “Ultimately, everything the president has done can be overturned by a Republican president, which is another reason we must win in November.”

A precursor to the potential legal battle over guns, GOP presidential candidates have signaled that conservatives will not allow the executive actions to outlast Obama’s presidency. Considering their successes in blocking his immigration actions, conservatives already have a road map of how to pull it off.

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