Actor McConaughey calls for gun legislation at White House

By AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Academy Award–winning actor Matthew McConaughey has offered an emotional call on Congress to “reach a higher ground” and pass gun control legislation. In a roughly 22-minute speech at the White House on Tuesday, McConaughey, a Uvalde, Texas, native, exhorted a gridlocked Congress to pass gun reforms that can save lives without infringing on Second Amendment rights. McConaughey used his star power to make an argument for legislation in a fashion that the Biden administration has not been able to muster. He offered a clear connection to the small Texas town and vivid detail of the sheer loss of the 19 children and two teachers gunned down in last month’s shooting rampage at an elementary school.