Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey in Washington after op-ed on gun responsibility

WASHINGTON — Uvalde native and Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey was noticed in the U.S. Capitol on Monday.

McConaughey didn’t take any questions from reporters who noticed him, however he has been talking out in regards to the current mass capturing in his hometown which left 21 useless. His presence on the Capitol corresponded with discussions by senators on federal response to mass shootings in Uvalde and elsewhere.

The actor penned an op-ed in the Austin American-Statesman on Monday morning calling for “gun responsibility.” He additionally advocated for measures like background checks, 21 age minimums on assault rifles, crimson flag legal guidelines and a nationwide ready interval for assault rifles.

“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,” McConaughey wrote in the op-ed.

Following the mass capturing, McConaughey and his spouse Camila McConaughey have been on the bottom at Uvalde. On June 3 the couple introduced a Uvalde reduction fund by their basis Just Keep Livin’ to deal with grief counseling, funeral providers and “other immediate and long-term needs of the community,” in accordance with a assertion from the muse.

“The loss is tragic,” the couple wrote in the assertion. “While the spirit of the community is in pain, the unanimous support of families to families and strangers to locals is beautiful.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is the lead GOP negotiator in ongoing discussions about how to reply to the current mass shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo and elsewhere.

Cornyn mentioned Monday night that he had beforehand talked to McConaughey by cellphone however had not met with him in particular person – not less than not but. He nodded to the op-ed McConaughey simply wrote.

“Certainly, his voice is important but everybody’s voice is important in trying to figure out where the consensus lies for bipartisan legislation,” Cornyn mentioned. “I may see him as a constituent. He’s a Texan after all.”

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who serves because the Senate Democratic whip, later mentioned on social media that he had met with McConaughey and mentioned, “We, like so many others, agree that gun safety reform is needed.”

In a prolonged tweet final month, the actor who flirted with a run for Texas governor this yr shared his ideas on the capturing.

“We have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms granted,” McConaughey wrote in the May 24 tweet.

He mentioned reevaluation is required.

“This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we can be better,” McConaughey wrote. “Action must be taken to see that no parent in Uvalde and the others before them has to experience what they have had to endure.”

In saying in late November that he determined to not search the state’s prime workplace, the Oscar winner referred to himself on Twitter “as a simple kid born in the little town of Uvalde, Texas,” and mentioned he realized in exploring the race that “we have some problems that we need to fix.”

“We’ve gotta start shining a light on our shared values — the ones that cross party lines, the ones that build bridges instead of burning them,” he mentioned. “I’ve learned that with freedom comes responsibility and that great leaders serve.”