Matthew McConaughey is opening up about the behind-the-scenes work he did to amplify the stories of the Uvalde victims that led to policy change in June.
The “Dazed and Confused” actor revealed in a new op-ed that his experience working with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., led him to realize that the majority of Americans aren’t on the political fringes. He encouraged lawmakers to work together on issues in the same way they worked on gun legislation following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Writing for Esquire, McConaughey started from the beginning, May 24, the day of the tragic shooting that left 21 dead in his hometown.
“I’m sickened by the spate of mass shootings in America – especially those at schools, which are supposed to be some of the safest of spaces for our children and the closest extensions of our own homes,” McConaughey wrote.
Matthew McConaughey detailed his work with lawmakers ahead of the passing of gun reform in June and called out politicians for losing sight of their “values and vision.”
(Gary Miller/Getty Images)
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY SHARES VIDEO CALLING FOR BIPARTISAN GUN REFORM: ‘IT’S TIME TO BE RESPONSIBLE’
“But this time felt different, more personal,” he recalled feeling. “Now, for the first time, my innocent childhood memories of Uvalde felt naive – more like dreams than memories, slightly hazy and suddenly overly sacred. Times like these make us all feel a bit more foolish. We hug our kids a little longer, knowing their innocence won’t last as long as ours did, hoping their children won’t know the same.”
After meeting with families of the Uvalde victims and before traveling to Washington, McConaughey called for “gun responsibility” and laid out where he stood on reform. He wanted to reframe the conversation and steer the discourse away from the term “gun control.”
“I support the Second Amendment. I believe we should have access to guns for hunting, sport and self-defense,” McConaughey explained in his latest op-ed. “I believe all firearm purchases should be subject to an extensive background check, and unless you’re in the military, you should be 21 to purchase an assault rifle. I believe that extreme risk protection orders, or ‘red-flag laws,’ that respect due process should be the law of the land and that firearm-safety courses should be mandatory.”
“Most of my friends and neighbors in Texas agree with these positions, and many of them also agree that our Second Amendment rights have been getting hijacked by troubled men with bad intent,” he noted. “It seems we have forgotten that our rights come with obligations – what’s more, that our rights depend on our fulfillment of those obligations. To do nothing is more than irresponsible; it’s un-American. Our firearm policy is failing us, and we are failing it.”
Matthew McConaughey speaks to reporters about mass shootings in the United States during a press briefing at the White House on June 7.
(Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
Matthew McConaughey becomes emotional as he holds up a picture of 10-year-old victim Alithia Ramirez.
(Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY CALLS FOR ‘GUN RESPONSIBILITY,’ NEW LAWS FOLLOWING UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING
McConaughey scheduled roughly 30 meetings in D.C. and spoke with lawmakers. By June 12, Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced new legislation – the first federal gun reform in 28 years.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed into law on June 25 by President Joe Biden.
After working in D.C. with lawmakers, McConaughey noted that politicians have seemingly “lost sight” of their “values and vision.”
“It seems that each party is so harmfully consumed by despising the opposition that they’ve become little more than counterpunches – so focused on the parry and the party defense that they’ve become reactive by default,” he explained. “They’ve lost sight of their own values and vision, thereby ceding their power to the fringes. That’s a problem.”
“Because most Americans, myself included, don’t stand on the political fringes. We are reasonable and responsible, and we share more values than we’re being told we do – and we believe that meeting each other in the middle is in service of the greater good. We have the majority. We have the numbers.”
Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves McConaughey walk between meetings with lawmakers about gun policy after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.
(Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
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Lastly, McConaughey emphasized that in order to live more safely, we need to be better parents, role models and mentors.
“If we want safer communities, more freedom, and better leaders, we’re gonna have to build better people. As parents, parental figures, role models and mentors, it’s on us to guide our children – to be more active in their lives – to show them we care, show them how to care for themselves and hence how to care for others: to teach them responsibility,” he wrote.
“From what I can tell, when a child has a healthy understanding that their own life matters, they have a healthier understanding that other lives matter as well.”
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey traveled to Uvalde shortly after the shooting took place in May.
(Rick Kern/WireImage via Getty Images)
