Matthew McConaughey emotionally honors Uvalde victims, calls for gun reform at White House

Matthew McConaughey headed to the White House Tuesday to meet with President Biden and deliver an impassioned speech in support of gun reform.
The Oscar-winning actor is from Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting last month. At a White House press briefing, he gave emotional remarks recounting stories about the shooting victims after meeting with their families. "They want to make their loss of life matter," McConaughey said.
At one point, the actor slammed the White House podium as he pointed to the pair of green Converse one of the victims wore every day. "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," McConaughey said, choking up. He also recounted the story of a shooting victim who dreamed of going to art school in Paris and whose father promised to spoil her and take her to SeaWorld one day.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
McConaughey urged lawmakers to "make the loss of these lives matter" by implementing gun control reforms, including raising the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 to 21. Suggesting "this moment is different," the actor said "responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals," adding that this shouldn't be a partisan issue.
"Let's admit it," he added. "We can't truly be leaders if we're only living for re-election."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Alchemised: how Harry Potter fanfic went mainstream
In The Spotlight Traditional publishers are signing up fan fiction authors to rewrite their ‘explosively popular’ romances for the mass market
-
Crossword: October 6, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Codeword: October 6, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland