Bloomberg: Gun Control Vote In The Senate A 'Victory' For Criminals

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sharply criticized senators who defeated a gun-buyer background check bill Wednesday, calling the vote a "damning indictment of the stranglehold that special interests have on Washington."

From a statement:

More than 40 U.S. Senators would rather turn their backs on the 90% of Americans who support comprehensive background checks than buck the increasingly extremist wing of the gun lobby. Democrats — who are so quick to blame Republicans for our broken gun laws — could not stand united. And Republicans — who are so quick to blame Democrats for not being tough enough on crime — handed criminals a huge victory, by preserving their ability to buy guns illegally at gun shows and online and keeping the illegal trafficking market well-fed.

Bloomberg, who heads the group Mayor's Against Illegal Guns, has been a vocal proponent for nationwide gun control and has launched several campaigns aimed at defeating politicians supported by the National Rifles Association.

On Wednesday, the mayor also warned those senators who voted against the measures that come 2014, he would work to "make sure that voters don’t forget."

Following the defeat of the bill on Wednesday, President Barack Obama slammed opponents of the measure, specifically the NRA, for "willfully lying about the bill," and allowing politics to rule over conscience.