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”.