Matthew McConaughey, who was born in Uvalde, Texas, seemed to call for stricter gun control laws without expressly saying so in a statement following yesterday’s mass shooting at an elementary school in his hometown.
“Once again we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us,” McConaughey wrote in a statement shared on social media. “The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?’ We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.”
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Though clearly distraught and frustrated, McConaughey did not specifically mention guns, gun control legislation, or the second amendment in his statement. Rather he stated “it’s time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs,” and said its time to “rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue.”
“This is an epidemic we can control,” McConaughey continued, “and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.”
The actor closed with a message to the families of the victims, writing, “And to those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming.”
At least 19 children and two adults were killed at Robb Elementary, a school that educates second, third, and fourth graders. The shooter was identified as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old man who lived in Uvalde and died at the scene.
Along with McConaughey, others who have spoken out include Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. The latter, during a performance in Los Angeles last night, said, “I wish we would never have to worry about our safety or our lives at places that are dedicated to our learning and growing. And I’m so heartbroken that this is the reality that we’re living in — and we need stricter gun control laws in America.”