WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said that this week’s mass shooting at a Florida school should prompt policymakers to examine ways they can improve mental-health care — a position that reignited criticism from opponents who see new gun control measures as the answer.

“Now is the time to have a discussion about what we can do to break down the barriers that prevent help going to people who need it — whether that’s a substance abuse issue or whether that’s a mental health concern,” said Gardner in a brief press conference Thursday.

The Colorado Republican also called for a closer look at whether authorities did enough to follow up on possible warnings about Nikolas Cruz, who admitted Thursday to killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“We need to understand why those reports weren’t investigated or further action wasn’t taken,” Gardner said.

His response comes amid a fresh outcry from gun-control advocates over Congress’ unwillingness to do more to restrict certain weapons or put other safeguards in place, an impasse one Colorado activist put at the feet of the National Rifle Association and its political influence.

“According to The New York Times, Cory Gardner has taken $3,879,000 from the NRA in the course of his career,” said Ian Silverii, executive director of ProgressNow Colorado. “Instead of listening to the survivors from Columbine, Aurora and other preventable tragedies, Gardner only pays attention to the gun lobby and his campaign funders.”

Gardner’s record on gun legislation largely hews to that of other congressional Republicans — much in the same way that U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado typically joins with his Democratic colleagues in support of measures such as more robust background checks.

“Background checks would be a great place to start,” Bennet said Thursday on MSNBC. “We’ve done that in Colorado.”

For adults and lawmakers this has become customary, but we should listen to our kids—our kids are terrified. We can’t keep letting ourselves off the hook. We should hold hearings in Congress & draft bipartisan legislation to do something now. pic.twitter.com/lGCFsho7z4 — Michael F. Bennet (@SenBennetCO) February 15, 2018

Bennet has received about $43,000 in contributions from gun-control interests over the course of his career, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The politics of guns in Colorado has been heavily debated in recent years and is likely to play a role in the 2018 race for governor.

Following the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, the state legislature expanded background checks and limited the size of magazines to 15 rounds.

That effort led to the recall of two Democratic state senators soon after.