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Matthew McConaughey makes impassioned plea for "responsible" gun ownership

Matthew McConaughey
Posted at 3:32 PM, Jun 07, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-07 15:33:13-04

Matthew McConaughey met with President Joe Biden on Tuesday and made an impassioned plea for "gun responsibility."

"As divided as our country is, this gun responsibility issue is one that we agree on more than we don't. It really is," McConaughey said during the daily White House press briefing. "This should be a non-partisan issue."

McConaughey, who is from Uvalde, Texas, spoke about his interactions with those who knew the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

His wife, Camilla, showed the shoes of one of the children who was killed.

"These are the same green Converse on her feet that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting," McConaughey said.

McConaughey wrote an op-ed in a Texas newspaper on Monday that calls for lawmakers to require background checks on all gun purchases. He also believes an "assault rifle" should only be sold to people 21 years and older, unless they are in the military. He also called for a national waiting period on "assault rifle" purchases and for Red Flag laws to become the "law of the land."

McConaughey reiterated his stance on Tuesday.

"We start right now by voting to pass policies that can keep us from having as many Columbines, Sandy Hooks, Parklands, Las Vegas', Buffalos and Uvaldes from here on," the actor said.

McConaughey said he is a gun owner and respects the Second Amendment, but he believes Americans can agree that more needs to be done to protect people.

"America, you and me, we are not as divided as we are being told we are," McConaughey said.