What Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey said about gun control in White House speech

Actor Matthew McConaughey spoke in support of gun legislation reform at the White House briefing on Tuesday after consulting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and President Joe Biden.

Driving the news: McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas, the same city where 19 children and two adults were shot and killed in a school shooting on May 24.

• According to CNN, McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, were in Uvalde over the past week mourning alongside the families of those who were killed in his hometown.

What he said: McConaughey recounted touching personal stories of victims before expressing his thoughts on gun control laws.

• McConaughey first reflected on the life of Alithia Ramirez, holding up some of her art at the press briefing. “Alithia’s dream, said the actor, was to go to art school in Paris,” reports Axios.
• Holding up a pair of sneakers, he also told the story of Maite Rodriguez, saying, “She wore these every day, green Converse, with a heart on the right toe,” according to NBC News, which noted that the shoes were replicas.
• “These are the same green Converse on her feet that turned out to be the only clear evidence that they could identify her after the shooting,” McConaughey said, per Axios.

• “You know what every one of these parents wanted, what they asked us for? What every parent separately expressed in their own way to Camila and me? That they want their children’s dreams to live on,” McConaughey said, according to CNN. “That they want their children’s dreams to continue, to accomplish something after they are gone. They want to make their loss of life matter.”

Details: “McConaughey, who owns guns and described learning to shoot as a child, advocated for ‘responsible gun ownership’ and for gun control specific policies,” Axios reported.

• McConaughey pleaded for additional regulation on access to AR-15s, such as universal background checks, red flag laws and increasing the minimum age requirement for purchasing an AR-15 to 21 years old, per CNN.
• “We start with laws that save innocent lives and don’t infringe on our Second Amendment rights,” said McConaughey, CBS News reported.
• McConaughey believes more people agree on gun reform as opposed to other politically charged problems, saying, “... this should be a nonpartisan issue. There is not a Democratic or Republican value in one single act of these shooters,” according to NBC News,

Background: The 52-year-old Academy Award winner considered running for Texas governor for the past two years, but ultimately decided against it, NPR reported.