WASHINGTON – ctor Mathew McConaughey on Tuesday used the megaphone of the White House and his own star power to urge leaders in Washington to address gun violence in honor of the young victims of the mass shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.
After meeting with President Joe Biden, McConaughey choked up as he shared the victims’ stories and pressed for action.
“This moment is different. We’re in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before, a window where it seems like real change – real change – can happen,” he said during an appearance at the White House briefing room.
McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas, the town where he said he was taught “to revere the power and the capability of the tool that we call a gun” – and where 19 children and two teachers were massacred at an elementary school last month.
“They want to make their loss of life matter,” he said of the victims’ families he’s met with.
McConaughey, who also spent time on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, said he came to Washington to share stories of his hometown, meet with leaders and urge them to speak with each other.
“Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals,” he said. “This should not be a partisan issue.”
Wearing a black suit with a Texas pin stuck through a lapel, McConaughey spoke for 20 minutes, at one point slamming the lectern so hard it shook.
His wife, Camilla, held in her lap a pair of green, high-top Converse sneakers, with a heart on the right toe, that belonged to one of the students. The shoes, he said, were “the only clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting.”
USA TODAY/Ipsos poll: Half of Republicans support stricter gun laws, a double-digit jump in a year
Also happening: Still facing nightmares, Uvalde survivor Miah Cerrillo, 11, will testify at House hearing on guns
Related: Matthew McConaughey launches fund for his hometown of Uvalde following school shooting
McConaughey’s visit to the White House came on the same day that Biden met with Sen. Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat leading negotiations with Senate Republicans on gun measures.
Murphy, who hopes he can reach an agreement by the end of the week, said he wanted to keep the president apprised on the talks to ensure he will sign off on any deal.
Biden has signaled he will support legislation that can pass the narrowly divided Senate, even if it doesn’t include everything he wants.
“He believes any step is a step forward,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday said he’s encouraging the talks to continue.
“Senator Murphy has asked for some space to have the bipartisan talks continue and I have given him that space,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
On Monday, The Austin American-Statesman, published an essay by McConaughey calling on leaders to make “bipartisan compromises on a few reasonable measures to restore responsible gun ownership in our country.”
He said those measures include universal background checks, a national waiting period to purchase assault rifles and raising the minimum to buy an assault rifle to 21. He also backed “red flag” laws which allow courts to remove firearms from those deemed a danger to themselves or others.
“Is this a cure all? Hell no. But people are hurting,” McConaughey said Tuesday. “We’ve got to get some real courage and honor our immortal obligations instead of our party affiliations. Enough of the counter punching.”
Source: USA Today
