Executive Orders

I'm not a political scientist or a presidential historian, so I don't know exactly what the history of the Executive Order is, or how it has been used.  It seems to be used more in recent years.  It also seems that, from my viewpoint, Executive Orders are being used to advance agendas that might not otherwise pass legislative process, although they should.  I don't know.  So I'm not sure what to make of this story of Obama using the Executive Order to advance his ideas of gun control.  But again, this seems to fit Obama's idea, and certainly the attitude of his supporters when he was first elected, that Obama is not there to serve, but to be obeyed.  Even if I liked what he was doing, I would be leery knowing how such trends can develop and where they can go.