Actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey spoke at the White House today about the recent deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School and about gun violence in America in general.
There's something wrong with a White House that puts Biden on Kimmel and McConaughey in the press room.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2022
That’s not necessarily wrong, but as long as McConaughey is in the White House press room, it’s worth considering what he has to say. Which may surprise you if you were expecting the usual paint-by-numbers material we usually hear from celebrities commenting on political issues.
Take a listen:
Matthew McConaughey at the White House press briefing on the gun debate post-Uvalde: "How can these families continue to honor these deaths by keeping the dreams of these children and teachers alive? How can the loss of these lives matter?…It seems that something is different." pic.twitter.com/9yXt6mwBxi
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
Matthew McConaughey: Wife "Camilla and I came here to share my stories from my hometown…and take meetings with officials on both sides…speak to them…to inspire them that the American people will continue to drive forward the mission of keeping our children safe." pic.twitter.com/p6phkwale6
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
Matthew McConaughey: "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…Even from the inside of our vehicle, you could feel the shock…the pain…the denial." pic.twitter.com/4V6a0AdqlU
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
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Matthew McConaughey: "It is there that we met two of the grieving parents, Ryan and Jessica Ramirez. Their 10-year-old daughter, Alethea — she was one of the children killed the day before…Her dream was to go to art school in Paris and one day share her art w/the world." pic.twitter.com/vfJX6sWZJI
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
An emotional Matthew McConaughey pounds the White House podium in speaking about Maite Rodriguez, one of the 19 Uvalde, Texas children killed at Robb Elementary.
She wanted to be a marine biologist and move to the coast. pic.twitter.com/X4E4eG7rA8
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
Matthew McConaughey on Ellie Garcia of Uvalde, Texas: She "loved to dance and she loved church. She even knew how to drive tractors…Ellie was always giving of her gifts…Ellie…was learning to love God, no matter where." pic.twitter.com/gZeBc5lJr0
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
Matthew McConaughey remembers "a fairytale love story" of Robb Elementary School teacher Irma Garcia who "went above and beyond and could not say no to any kind of teaching." pic.twitter.com/h1NGrIfVel
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
Matthew McConaughey shares how he met a cosmetologist who'd normally do makeup for bodies at open-casket funerals, but "these bodies…needed much more than makeup…due to the exceptionally large exit wounds."
He adds counselors will "be needed for a long time" pic.twitter.com/3cHHMjfnbB
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
Matthew McConaughey: "[T]hey want their children's dreams to live on, that they want their dreams to continue to accomplish something after they are gone…We want…safe schools and we want gun laws that won't make it so easy for the bad guys to get these damn guns." pic.twitter.com/SbjvOx9zUw
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 7, 2022
Matthew McConaughey: "We need to invest in mental healthcare. 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." pic.twitter.com/FKIbpUVVSW
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 7, 2022
Huh.
https://twitter.com/thebigkiwifan/status/1534246665812684801
Kind of pleasantly surprisingly based, actually.
We probably can meet on most of these… https://t.co/zq8I0DjGU3
— Nathan Wurtzel (@NathanWurtzel) June 7, 2022
I thought he sounded pretty reasonable.
— Zacharias Santiago🏳️🌈 (@TonyMon10880982) June 7, 2022
He did.
His “Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals” does not mean that responsible gun owners want the federal government to further infringe on their Second Amendment rights.
— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) June 7, 2022
Baldwin’s point is also a fair one.
I appreciate his sincerity and don’t doubt it for a moment. However, there are express constitutional issues with several of these and others (like background checks) are already the case and haven’t stopped killings. https://t.co/1kMJWcZaI3
— Sunny McSunnyface (@sunnyright) June 7, 2022
Not everything he said today was perfect, of course, but he hit several important nails on the head, and we can give him props for that.
Let’s see how many media outlets include the sensationalized media reporting part
— Reality Beaker (@RealityBeaker) June 7, 2022
That right there is a huge nail. “If it bleeds, it leads” is a saying for a reason.
Anyway, you may not agree with all of McConaughey’s proposals, but hopefully you can still appreciate his sincerity — and his refusal to demonize responsible gun owners.
Unlike politicians, I actually believe @McConaughey is using his celebrity to try and inspire change. And that’s a good thing.
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) June 7, 2022