Actor Matthew McConaughey, a native of Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday spoke about the horror of the May 24 mass shooting that killed 19 elementary students and two teachers.
McConaughey, a gun owner, visited with President Joe Biden before he addressed the press in the White House.
Below are his comments, which have been edited for brevity.
My wife, Camilla, and I spent most of last week on the ground with the families in Uvalde, Texas, and we shared stories, tears, and memories.
The common thread, independent of the anger and the confusion and sadness, was the same: How can these families continue to honor these deaths by keeping the dreams of these children and teachers alive?
Again, how can the loss of these lives matter?
So while we honor and acknowledge the victims, we need to recognize that this time it seems that something is different. There is a sense that perhaps there is a viable path forward. Responsible parties in this debate seem to at least be committed to sitting down and having a real conversation about a new and improved path forward — a path that can bring us closer together and make us safer as a country, a path that can actually get something done this time.
