Matthew McConaughey Calls For ‘Gun Responsibility’ After Uvalde: ‘Violence’ Is ‘Ripping Apart Families’

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Matthew McConaughey penned an op-ed calling for new legislation to meet in the middle of both sides of the political spectrum for the Austin-American Statesman on Wednesday, June 6. The Dallas Buyers Club actor wrote about the impact that these tragedies have on the families of the victims, and he proposed his plan to hopefully reduce the number of people killed by gun violence, after the deadly school shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 students and two teachers dead. “Depraved acts of violence, with guns as the weapon of choice, are ripping apart families, tearing at people’s faith, and shredding the fabric of our society,” he wrote.

While Matthew, 52, said that he felt that “law-abiding Americans” should still have their Second Amendment rights, he made an emotional call for reform. “I also believe we have a cultural obligation to take steps toward slowing down the senseless killing of our children,” he said, before differentiating “between control and responsibility.”

The Oscar-winner suggested that “gun responsibility” would both preserve Second Amendment rights while also working towards preventing more heartbreaking deaths from gun violence. “[Control] is a mandate that can infringe on our right; [responsibility] is a duty that will preserve it. There is no constitutional barrier to gun responsibility. Keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous people is not only the responsible thing to do, it is the best way to protect the Second Amendment. We can do both,” he wrote.

Matthew called on elected officials to reach across the aisle to institute new policies that meet each other in the middle. “We need to make the lost lives matter. Our leaders must make bipartisan compromises on a few reasonable measures to restore responsible gun ownership in our country,” he wrote.

The actor’s suggestions included: requiring background checks, preventing people under 21 from purchasing assault rifles (unless they’re in the military), enacting a national waiting period for assault rifles, and instituting Red Flag Laws, which “empower loved ones or law enforcement to petition courts to temporarily prevent individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or accessing firearms,” as he put it.

After laying out his plan, Matthew clarified that he’s “not under the illusion that these policies will solve all of our problems,” but he did call for leaders to work together to create new gun policies. “Business as usual isn’t working. ‘That’s just how it is’ cannot be an excuse. The heinous bloodshed of innocent people cannot become bearable,” he wrote.

Since the shooting, Matthew has been seen meeting with the families of victims and paying his respects for those lost. Shortly after the tragedy, he released a statement, making similar calls for bipartisan work to “do better” after the deaths.