Matthew McConaughey Delivers Powerful Plea After Heartbreaking Texas School Shooting, Gets Asked If He's Grandstanding

In honor of the children and teachers slain in last month's shooting spree at an elementary school in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey visited the White House on Tuesday to call on Congress to take a stand and enact gun control legislation.

Matthew McConaughey encouraged a gridlocked Congress to implement gun measures that can save lives without compromising on Second Amendment rights in a profoundly personal 22-minute statement.

Matthew McConaughey Makes Emotional Plea for Gun Laws

McConaughey, a gun owner himself, used his star power to make an argument for legislation that the Biden administration could not, offering a clear connection to the small Texas town and vividly detailing the sheer loss of the 19 children and two teachers in the country's second-worst mass school shooting.

He explicitly requested that Congress strengthen background checks for firearms transactions and raise the minimum age to 21 from 18. McConaughey, who explored running for governor of Texas earlier this year before passing, spoke briefly in private with President Joe Biden before addressing the White House press corps from the James Brady briefing room.

This week, McConaughey visited with key legislators, including the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, and the panel's leading Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, according to AP News. Both sides have been attempting to reach an agreement on several topics, including the age at which Americans may purchase assault weapons, background checks, and red-flag rules.

McConaughey spoke about the children slain in the tragedy and his talks with their families in heartbreaking remarks delivered from the briefing room platform with the White House emblem behind him.

Fox News Host Mocks McConaughey

When he mentioned Alithea Ramirez, a 10-year-old girl slain in the atrocity, the actor sobbed. He described Alithea as an artist who aspired to attend art school in Paris. He showed her a sketch she'd drawn, which her parents had permitted him to exhibit.

He mentioned Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, a 10-year-old girl who aspired to be a marine researcher. He motioned to his wife Camila, who was sitting at the far end of the briefing room, clutching a pair of green Converse sneakers with a heart emblazoned on the toe.

He stated that Maite wore the shoes every day and that they were the sole concrete evidence that could be used to identify her after the incident. During his roughly 20-minute speech, McConaughey halted at times to collect his calm or wipe his eyes. He also displayed signs of rage while discussing the deaths of children. He did not answer reporters' queries thereafter, as per Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, a Fox News host wasted no time criticizing Matthew McConaughey for his impassioned White House gun control plea. Sandra Smith, the show's host, criticized the actor's heartfelt plea as someone from Hollywood seeking to restore our family values in the aftermath of the Texas elementary school tragedy.

McConaughey grew up in Uvalde, Texas, where a young shooter entered Robb Elementary School armed with an AR-15 rifle and killed 19 kids and two teachers, Independent reported.

Tags

Matthew McConaughey, Gun laws, White House