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. When we got to Uvalde, even from the inside of our vehicle, you could feel the shock in the town.Matthew McConaughey
Camila and I came here to share my stories from my hometown of Uvalde. I came here to take meetings with elected officials on both sides of the aisle. We came here to speak to them, and to urge them to speak with each other — to remind and inspire them that the American people will continue to drive forward the mission of keeping our children safe, because it’s more than our right to do so, it’s our responsibility to do so.
I’m here today in the hopes of applying what energy, reason, and passion that I have into trying to turn this moment into a reality. Because this moment is different. We are in a window of opportunity right now where it seems like real change can happen.
Uvalde, Texas, is where I was born. It’s where my mom taught kindergarten less than a mile from Robb Elementary. Uvalde is where I learned to master a Daisy BB gun. It took two years before I graduated to a 410 shotgun. Uvalde is where I was taught to revere the power and the capability of the tool that we call a gun. Uvalde is where I learned responsible gun ownership.
