Matthew McConaughey spoke to reporters in the White House briefing room and called for Congress to pass legislation to stop gun violence. This comes after her published an op-ed in the Austin American Statesman calling for several measures to curb mass shootings like the one at Robb Elementary. Before the briefing, he met with President Joe Biden.
McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas, and spoke about the nineteen schoolchildren and two teachers murdered by Salvador Ramos in his native town.
He used his time to call for regulations so that America could implement “responsible gun ownership” and saying that we “are in a window of opportunity right now… a window where it seems like real change can happen.”
“These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations to our nation, states, communities, schools and homes. Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals. These regulations are not a step back – they’re a step forward for a civil society and, and the Second Amendment,” McConaughey said in a roughly 20-minute speech from the podium.
He said that gun control legislation could have possibly prevented the school shooting in Uvalde.
In an emotionally charged plea, the actor said, “We start right now by voting to pass policies that can keep us from having as many Columbines, Sandy Hooks, Parklands, Las Vegas.”
“We start by making the loss of these lives matter.”
At one point, McConaughey pointed to a pair of green high-top Converse sneakers with a sharpied heart on the toe being held by his wife Camilla sitting to the right of him. He said those sneakers were the only piece of evidence that could identify one of the Uvalde victims.
In an op ed published this week, McConaughey called for all gun purchases to require a background check, make the minimum purchase of AR-15’s be 21 federally, implement red flag laws, and begin a national waiting period for assault rifles.
In response to his speech in the briefing room, the Academy award winning actor was then quickly roasted on Twitter.
One user noted that McConaughey has appeared in many movies featuring plenty of gun violence and has not claimed responsibility for taking part in portraying irresponsible gun ownership. See the tweet below.
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McConaughey visited the victim’s memorial a week after the shooting to pay respects and has repeatedly approaching political matters more like a politician. It has been rumored that he wants to get into politics, but it is unknown what he will run for.
Do you think he is right about gun legislation? Or do you not get your opinions from actors. Let us know your thoughts.
