Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday that he's encouraged by the news that the Obama administration is creating a task force whose goal is to generate proposals to reduce gun violence.

The president announced the creation of a task force, led by Vice President Joe Biden, on Wednesday.

In a statement, Bloomberg said he spoke with Biden, and offers his full support.

But he's also repeating his call to the president to hire a new director to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. He also said he wants the president to order federal agencies to submit gun data to a national database, and toughen prosecution of those who try to buy guns illegally.

The mayor held a fiery news conference earlier this week, demanding federal action to reduce gun violence.