Albany Times Union

Now we learn that Adam Lanza did not get the help that was needed and that might have prevented his murderous rampage (“Chances to help were lost as killer evolved,” Nov. 23).

Think about it: After the Sandy Hook shootings, there was not one parent who was able to escape the tyranny of imagining his or her child being murdered in the neighborhood school. How many more children will be taken from us before lawmakers devote the same energy and resources it takes to launch their re-election campaigns to safeguarding our children?

New York state has ensured easy access to mental health care for Medicaid recipients and neglected the needs of underinsured middle-class families.

The gun lobby is formidable and well-heeled. Children, on the other hand, don’t have a voice until they are in the ground. Children are killed, grieving parents become tireless advocates and laws are passed in their children’s names. Timothy’s Law (mental health parity), Megan’s Law (making information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders) and Katie’s Law (making aggravated vehicular homicide a crime) come to mind.

We need our lawmakers, elected and appointed officials, to wake up. Our children are suffering and dying; families are struggling and desperate. Our leaders can support the constitutional right to bear arms while taking steps to prevent gun violence and providing adequate funding for community-based mental health centers to support the emotional well-being of all of our children.

Andrew Malekoff

Long Beach

Executive Director, North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center, Roslyn Heights