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Actor Matthew McConaughey holds a photo of a victim in the recent mass shooting at a junior school in Uvalde, Texas, during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: TNS

Matthew McConaughey makes tearful plea for US gun laws after massacre in Texas hometown

  • The actor is native of Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were killed in a school shooting two weeks ago
  • During a White House visit, McConaughey called for stricter rules on gun control, saying there was a window of opportunity for ‘real change’

Actor Matthew McConaughey made an impassioned plea for new gun controls during a visit to the White House, two weeks after the junior school massacre in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.

“We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before,” McConaughey told reporters in the White House briefing room following a meeting with President Joe Biden.

“A window where it seems like real change, real change can happen.”

The actor – who recently considered but ultimately decided against a bid for Texas governor – teared up speaking about the 19 children and two teachers killed. At one point, his wife held up green Converse trainers belonging to one of the child victims, who had drawn a heart on the toe.

“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,” the actor said.

McConaughey said fellow responsible gun owners were “fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals”.

Husband of teacher slain in Texas massacre dies of ‘grief’

“We need background checks. We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle to 21.

“We need a waiting period for those rifles, we need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them,” he said.

Some of those proposals are included in ongoing Senate bipartisan negotiations in the hopes of crafting a package that can gain support from 10 Republican senators to overcome a filibuster.

Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates gun-safety measures, is backed by Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP.

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Horror and grief after Texas school shooting, Joe Biden calls for action

Horror and grief after Texas school shooting, Joe Biden calls for action

Earlier on Tuesday, Biden met Senator Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who is leading talks alongside Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican.

Biden believes “any step is a step forward” and was encouraged by the progress of the talks after meeting with Murphy, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

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