This paper investigates the effect of uniaxial strain on the electronic structure of graphene using a tight-binding approach. The study shows that strain can induce a bulk spectral gap in graphene, but this gap is critical and requires deformations exceeding 20%. The gap appears as a result of the merging of two inequivalent Dirac points under significant deformations. The gapless Dirac spectrum is robust for small and moderate deformations. The paper discusses how strain-induced anisotropy and local deformations can be used to affect transport characteristics and pinch off current flow in graphene devices. The analysis shows that strain along the zig-zag direction is more effective in overcoming the gap threshold compared to the armchair direction. The results indicate that the gap threshold is approximately 20%, and the system exhibits periodic behavior in the angle of strain. The merging of Dirac cones under strain leads to the formation of a gap, with the critical strain required to bring the two Dirac points together. The paper also discusses the implications of this merging on the Fermi velocity and the anisotropy of the Fermi surface. The study highlights that while uniform planar strain is unlikely to induce a bulk gap in graphene, strain can be an effective means of tuning the electronic structure and transport characteristics of graphene devices. Local strain can be used to mechanically pinch off current flow, even if a bulk gap is difficult to achieve. The paper concludes that the robustness of the gapless Dirac spectrum in graphene is due to the stability of the Dirac points, which only merge under substantial strain. The results are supported by recent ab-initio calculations, which confirm that only extreme strain can induce a bulk spectral gap in graphene.This paper investigates the effect of uniaxial strain on the electronic structure of graphene using a tight-binding approach. The study shows that strain can induce a bulk spectral gap in graphene, but this gap is critical and requires deformations exceeding 20%. The gap appears as a result of the merging of two inequivalent Dirac points under significant deformations. The gapless Dirac spectrum is robust for small and moderate deformations. The paper discusses how strain-induced anisotropy and local deformations can be used to affect transport characteristics and pinch off current flow in graphene devices. The analysis shows that strain along the zig-zag direction is more effective in overcoming the gap threshold compared to the armchair direction. The results indicate that the gap threshold is approximately 20%, and the system exhibits periodic behavior in the angle of strain. The merging of Dirac cones under strain leads to the formation of a gap, with the critical strain required to bring the two Dirac points together. The paper also discusses the implications of this merging on the Fermi velocity and the anisotropy of the Fermi surface. The study highlights that while uniform planar strain is unlikely to induce a bulk gap in graphene, strain can be an effective means of tuning the electronic structure and transport characteristics of graphene devices. Local strain can be used to mechanically pinch off current flow, even if a bulk gap is difficult to achieve. The paper concludes that the robustness of the gapless Dirac spectrum in graphene is due to the stability of the Dirac points, which only merge under substantial strain. The results are supported by recent ab-initio calculations, which confirm that only extreme strain can induce a bulk spectral gap in graphene.