What did Matthew McConaughey say about the Uvalde school shooting? Actors calls for gun reform laws at White House press briefing

Matthew McConaughey (Image via Getty Images)

Matthew McConaughey held back tears as he spoke to reporters at the White House on Tuesday about visiting the families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School massacre in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.

In many respects, the actor's appearance in the White House briefing room following his and Camilla's meeting with President Joe Biden was unprecedented, as he spoke movingly in honor of the victims and their lives that were cut short, revealing extremely personal memories.

When a gunman opened fire on their classroom, 19 children and two teachers were killed.

McConaughey explicitly urged lawmakers in the United States to approve laws raising the minimum age to acquire an assault rifle from 18 to 21, bolstering background checks, and instituting red flag provisions.

In an op-ed published in the Austin American Statesman earlier this week, the actor advocated for a variety of gun reform recommendations, including background checks for all gun transactions, a minimum age of 21 for purchasing assault guns, a waiting period for purchase, and statewide "red flag" regulations.

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Matthew McConaughey addresses school shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas

Three days after the catastrophic massacre that killed 19 children and two adults on May 24, McConaughey returned to his hometown, where his mother had worked as a schoolteacher. Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old gunman, opened fire with a handgun and a rifle at Robb Elementary School.

The Oscar winner claims that focusing on gun restrictions has resulted in a decades-long political impasse, and he believes that it's time to move the discourse to "gun responsibility."

Matthew McConaughey said:

“There is a difference between control and responsibility. The first is a mandate that can infringe on our right; the second is a duty that will preserve it. There is no constitutional barrier to gun responsibility. Keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous people is not only the responsible thing to do, it is the best way to protect the Second Amendment. We can do both.”

Reporters barraged him with questions, including one who questioned, "Are you grandstanding, sir?" However, he did not respond and exited the briefing room.

At least 17 people were also wounded by the gunman, who used an assault rifle and was killed by responding authorities.

Matthew McConaughey argued that "responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment" and encouraged "both sides to look above the political problem at hand."

On Monday, McConaughey visited Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who chairs the influential Judiciary Committee, and on Tuesday, he met Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the panel's leading Republican.

However, when reporters questioned what he was doing in Washington after spotting him in the US Capitol on Monday, the actor declined to respond.

Grassley shared a photo of their meeting on Twitter, stating that they talked about "gun responsibility" and "school safety."

Matthew McConaughey has a long history of activism and philanthropy, and he even considered running for governor last year. Despite several hypothetical surveys indicating that McConaughey might be a formidable contender, he decided not to run for government last November.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012 (which killed 28 people) and the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 (which killed 33 people), the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has now become the third most fatal school shooting in American history.