Six months after the mass shooting in Newtown and with no major new gun legislation on the horizon, the White House is moving forward on an executive package of gun safety measures, says the New York Times. The package, including 23 executive actions already announced by President Obama, is intended to bolster the nation's database used for background checks and make it harder for criminals and people with mental illnesses to get guns. Gun control groups said the executive actions never would carry the weight of legislation to expand the number of gun buyers subjected to the background check system. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), said, that the President “abused his power by imposing his administration's policies through executive action instead of working with Congress and allowing the issue to be debated.”