Matthew McConaughey made a special appearance behind the podium at the White House briefing room on Tuesday, June 7, where he issued a plea to “the people in power” to change laws relating to gun ownership.
McConaughey is a native of Uvalde, Texas, where a shooter armed with an assault weapon murdered 19 students and two teachers at Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School.
McConaughey, a gun owner himself who learned how to shoot when he was a child, called on lawmakers to support legislation that would require universal background checks, a 21-year-old age limit for firearm purchases as well as a waiting period during gun sales.
“These regulations are not a step back. They’re a step forward for a civil society and the Second Amendment,” said the Oscar winner.
“This should not be a partisan issue,” McConaughey added. “There’s not a Democratic or Republican value in one single act of these shooters. But people in power have failed to act. So we’re asking you, and I’m asking you. Will you please ask yourselves: Can both sides rise above? Can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand and admit that we have a life preservation problem on our hands?”
