Daily News

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had tough words for President Barack Obama on Friday after Obama's emotional call for "meaningful action" in the wake of a mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn .

Bloomberg, a longtime gun control advocate, released a statement through Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an advocacy group he co-founded with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.

"President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem," Bloomberg said. "Calling for 'meaningful action' is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership not from the White House and not from Congress."

Bloomberg endorsed Obama shortly before the president was re-elected last month, saying he believed Obama would push for initiatives to curb climate change . The mayor had been critical of both Obama and Republican Mitt Romney for much of the campaign, saying they were failing to candidly address serious problems facing the country.