Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Matthew McConaughey, in an emotional speech at the White House on Tuesday, called for lawmakers to act on bipartisan gun reforms \u2014 two weeks after a mass shooting at a school in the actor\u2019s Texas hometown left 19 students and two teachers dead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to invest in mental health care, we need safer schools, we need to restrain sensationalized media coverage, we need to restore our family values, we need to restore our American values and we need responsible gun ownership,\u201d McConaughey said at the daily White House press briefing.<\/p>\n
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said McConaughey met with President Joe Biden just before the briefing \u201con taking action and keeping our communities safe.\u201d The actor stressed the need for gun restrictions, such as background checks, red flag laws, raising the minimum age of purchase and a waiting period for guns such as AR-15 rifles.<\/p>\n
His plea for tighter gun restrictions comes two weeks to the day after an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where McConaughey grew up. The killings \u2014 along with a string of other mass shootings across the country in recent weeks \u2014 have ignited the gun reform debate in the U.S., as gun safety advocates press Congress to pass stricter laws.<\/p>\n
Earlier Tuesday, McConaughey met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to discuss gun legislation.<\/p>\n
McConaughey in his speech recounted stories of some of the victims of the Uvalde shooting whose parents he met when he and his wife, Camila Alves, visited the town last week. He appeared to choke up multiple times throughout the speech as he spoke about the young victims and their dreams.<\/p>\n
At one point, McConaughey slammed the podium after he showed the green Converse sneakers one girl wore that were later used to identify her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere do we start?\u201d McConaughey asked. \u201c… We start by making the loss of these lives matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The actor also took a hit at \u201cpeople in power\u201d who he said had \u201cfailed to act.\u201d He called on lawmakers to toss partisan politics to the side and instead find middle ground on the issue and pass gun regulations.<\/p>\n
Negotiations in Congress on a bipartisan gun reform deal are ongoing, but it\u2019s unclear whether Democrats and Republicans will come to an agreement on a package that would limit gun rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s admit it: We can\u2019t truly be leaders if we\u2019re only living for reelection,\u201d McConaughey said.<\/p>\n