Teacher Related

Matthew McConaughey spoke at the White House on Tuesday to call for “gun responsibility” after the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting earlier this month. “We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before, a window where it seems like real change, real change can happen,” the 52-year-old McConaughey told reporters.

According to McConaughey, who visited Uvalde the day after 19 children and two instructors were shot to death, he spoke with the relatives of those who had perished and talked movingly about some of the deceased.  Alithia Ramirez, who was just ten years old at the time, had shown an interest in going to art school in Paris at some point in the future. He presented a vivid sketch that she had created.

Matthew McConaughey also pointed out that his wife, Camila Alves, was holding a pair of green Converse sneakers that belonged to one of the victims, Maite Rodriguez.  “Green Converse with a heart on the right toe,” McConaughey said. “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.” In a somber White House briefing room, he said, “How about that?” 

During a meeting with President Joe Biden and members of Congress before addressing the White House press corps, McConaughey remarked that “their loss matters.”

“They want their children’s dreams to live on,” he said.

The number of individuals he comforted was staggering, he claimed. What did they all say? ‘We want secure and safe schools, and gun laws that won’t make it so easy for the bad guys to get these damn guns.” “We need to invest in mental health care. We need safer schools,” he said. “We need to restore our American values and we need responsible gun ownership.

He went on to say, “We need background checks.” “We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle to 21.”

In spite of our country’s polarized politics, “the gun responsibility issue is one that we agree on,” he stated.

There is “no Democratic or Republican value” in any one of these shooters’ actions, he said. Are both parties able to look beyond the current political issue and accept that there is a life-preservation issue?

An American public opinion survey conducted by CBS News and YouGov indicated that 62% of people are in favor of a statewide ban on semi-automatic firearms. Even more people are in favor of background checks for all gun purchasers (81 percent).

A total of more than 18,000 individuals have been murdered by gun violence in the United States so far this year, including almost 10,000 suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive.