Justice Department worked on new gun safety proposals

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has been investigating new ways to curb gun violence, including expanding and automating earlier this year the federal databases used in background checks on gun purchasers.

A Justice Department official who was not authorized to speak on the record on this issue and spoke anonymously confirmed the working group's existence. The New York Times says the group considered asking Congress to increase criminal penalties for people who buy guns for people who cannot pass a federal background check.