Matthew McConaughey is speaking out on the issue at the core of the tragedy that has devastated his hometown.
In the wake of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, just days after supermarket customers were killed in a racially motivated attack in Buffalo, New York, the conversation around guns has been more divided and more fervent than ever. Many are calling for lawmakers to make what can prove to be lifesaving changes to policy and regulations, but not everyone is on board.
The 52-year-old actor shared his opinions on the matter as someone who identifies with all sides of these issues. Matthew was raised in Uvalde, Texas, and has stayed close to his home state his whole life. He understands gun culture, the plights of that particular community, and the heartbreak of parents involved in these tragedies, as a father of three. He shared his thoughts in an op-ed for the Austin American-Statesman.
"I am a father, the son of a kindergarten teacher, and an American. I was also born in Uvalde, Texas. That's why I'm writing this," he began his piece.
Matthew explained that he is a staunch believer in the Second Amendment, but he believes it is time for gun owners to explore the responsibility around it.
"I believe that responsible, law-abiding Americans have a Second Amendment right, enshrined by our founders, to bear arms. I also believe we have a cultural obligation to take steps toward slowing down the senseless killing of our children. The debate about gun control has delivered nothing but status quo. It's time we talk about gun responsibility," he reasoned.
"There is a difference between control and responsibility. The first is a mandate that can infringe on our right; the second 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."
Matthew went on to explore the cost of these tragedies, which seem to be more frequent and more widespread than ever before. He talks about how it isn't just impacting individual families but also our society as a whole, from our relationships with government to our relationships with religion.
"We have an epidemic of indiscriminate mass shootings, of parents burying their children, of inaction, and buck-passing. Saving the unnecessary loss of lives is not a partisan issue," he continued.
"The need for mental health care, school safety, the prevalence of sensationalized media coverage, and the decaying state of American values are all long-term societal factors that must be addressed, but right now, we don't have the luxury of time. We need to focus on corrections and countermeasures that can also and immediately reduce the gun violence tragedies that have become too common in our country."
Matthew then shared his four-point plan that includes actionable bipartisan compromises that can honor responsible gun owners while addressing the issues that have brought about the violence our nation has experienced time and again.
"All gun purchases should require a background check. Eighty-eight percent of Americans support this, including a lot of responsible gun owning Texans," he said in his first point.
"I've met them. Roof, who killed nine people in a black church in South Carolina in 2015, got his pistol without a completed background check due to a legal technicality. The system failed. Gun control activists call this a loophole. I call it incompetence."
"Unless you are in the military, you should be 21 years old to purchase an assault rifle," Matthew continues in his second point.
"I'm not talking about 12-gauge shotguns or lever-action hunting rifles. I'm talking about the weapon of choice for mass murderers, AR-15s. The killer in my hometown of Uvalde purchased two AR-15s for his eighteenth birthday, just days before he killed 19 students and two teachers. He obeyed the law. Had the law been different, perhaps I wouldn't be writing this today."
In his third point, Matthew made the case for controversial red flag laws, which many legislators have been dismissive of.
"Red Flag Laws should be the law of the land. These measures, which are already in effect in 19 states and Washington, D.C., 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," he explained.
"These laws must respect due process, judicial review, and hold account individuals who may abuse such laws."
"We need to institute a national waiting period for assault rifles," he said in a fourth point.
"Individuals often purchase weapons in a fit of rage, harming themselves or others. Studies show that mandatory waiting periods reduced homicides by 17 percent. Gun suicides account for the majority of U.S. gun deaths. A waiting period to purchase an assault rifle is an acceptable sacrifice for responsible gun owners when it can prevent a mass shooting crime of passion or suicide."
Matthew says that while these measures are systemic, there are also measures of responsibility that companies and individuals can take each and every day that don't require any approval from the top.
"I want to be clear. I am not under the illusion that these policies will solve all of our problems, but if responsible solutions can stop some of these tragedies from striking another community without destroying the Second Amendment, they're worth it," he notes.
"This is not a choice between guns or no guns. It's the responsible choice," the Texan concluded.
"It's the reasonable choice. It's a quintessentially American choice: Where I have the right to be me, you have the freedom to be you, and we have the responsibility to be US."
Matthew's action on this issue didn't end with this op-ed, however. On June 6, the same day it was published, he was spotted at the US Capitol, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are working on gun-related policy and trying to find common ground for change. He has spoken with Texas Senator John Cornyn and met with Illinois Senator Dick Durbin.
Matthew and wife Camila Alves McConaughey are also working through their nonprofit organization, Just Keep Livin. On June 3, they announced their Uvalde Relief Fund. The funds raised will help support grief counseling, costs associated with burial services, and other immediate and long-term needs of the community.
