Matthew McConaughey posted a raw and emotional message on social media after Tuesday’s tragic shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.
The 52-year-old actor and father of three was among those demanding change after the attack at Robb Elementary School, where an 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 students, a teacher as well as another adult.
Matthew McConaughey Comments On The Tragic School Shooting In His Texas Hometown: ‘This Is An Epidemic We Can Control’
“As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my hometown of Uvalde, Texas,” McConaughey wrote.
“Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us. 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?’ he wrote. “We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.”
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“As Americans, Texans, mothers, and fathers, it’s time we re-evaluate and renegotiate our wants from our needs,” he continued. “We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue.”
Uvalde is a small city of about 16,000 residents, approximately 85 miles west of San Antonio. McConaughey lived there until he was 11 years old, before moving with his family to Longview. The tragedy is the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.
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McConaughey has spoken in the past about tighter gun laws, urging politicians to put their differences aside and come together to enact stricter gun laws.
“This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better,” he wrote. “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.”
“To those who dropped their loved ones off to school not knowing that today was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss,” he said, adding, “but if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming,” he concluded.