Dark Tower and Dallas Buyers Club actor Matthew McConaughey called for responsible gun ownership and tighter gun laws during White House briefing on Tuesday, addressing the tragic Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
McConaughey also disclosed that following the incident, he and his wife Camila spent time with the families of the victims, which included 19 children, 2 Robb Elementary faculty members, as well as other 17 individuals that were injured by 18-year-old shooter Salvador Ramos.
The Uvalde-native actor inquired, “How can the loss of these lives matter?” as he addressed the horrible school shooting at Robb Elementary, asserting “this time something is different,” and noting that “there is a sense that perhaps there is a viable path forward” regarding responsible gun ownership.
“A path that can bring us closer together and make us safer as a country. A path that can actually get something done this time,” he went on, declaring that he went to Washington to “take meetings with elected officials on both sides of the aisle.”
McConaughey reiterated, “As I said, this moment is different. We are 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.”
“We heard from so many people. Families of the deceased. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, Texas Rangers, hunters, Border Patrol, and responsible gun owners who won’t give up their Second Amendment right to bear arms, and you know what they all said? ‘We want secure and safe schools, and we want gun laws that won’t make it so easy for the bad guys to get these damn guns,'” the actor said.
McConaughey then pushed for gun control and responsible gun ownership, asserting, “We need background checks. We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle to 21. We need a waiting period for those rifles. We need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them.”
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The Interstellar actor went on to claim that “Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals,” reassuring gun owners that the regulations he’s proposing are not a “step back,” but a “step forward for a civil society and the Second Amendment.”
“This gun responsibility is an issue that we agree on more than we don’t,” McConaughey claimed, alluding to views held by both Republicans and Democrats regarding responsible gun ownership, declaring that “this should not be a partisan issue.”
The actor then implored both sides to stop “counter punching” and invalidating each other, urging both to “come to the common table that represents the American people, and find a middle ground; the place where most of us Americans live any way. Especially on this issue.”
“Because I promise you. America. You and me… we are not as divided as we’re being told we are,” McConaughey reassured. “We got take a sober, humble and honest look in the mirror and rebrand ourselves on what we truly value.”
Matthew McConaughey has seemingly changed his tune on gun control over the years. Not long ago, the actor was actually pushing for a total ban on civilian assault weapons and “close the loopholes that exist” in background checks.
Human Events host Jack Posobiec brought forward a video of McConaughey in 2018, wherein the actor can be seen pushing for a ban on “assault weapons for civilians” and encouraged gun owners to “take one for the team and set them down.”
FLASHBACK: Here is Matthew McConaughey in 2018 calling for a total civilian ban on assault weapons
“Take one for the team and set them down” pic.twitter.com/uHVoGfvzDQ
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 7, 2022
In March of 2018 during a March For Our Lives protest in Austin, Texas, McConaughey named the three stipulations he believed needed to be established in order to end the “epidemic” of mass school shootings.
“One, let’s ban the assault weapons for civilians. This is a no-brainer,” asserted the actor. “And to my friends out there that are responsible owners of these recreational assault weapons that they use for recreation, please let’s just take one for the team here and set it down. That issue saves lives.”
He went on, “Number two, let’s restrict the capacity of the magazines. Look here – in the state of Texas, we have a three shell limit to hunt migratory birds. Do the math. You get my point.”
“The third one, let’s better regulate the background checks that are already in place, and close the loopholes that exist in those background checks,” McConaughey concluded.
What do you make of Matthew McConaughey’s call for responsible gun ownership and tighter gun control laws? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below, or on social media.