Matthew McConaughey calls for bipartisan action amid gun 'epidemic' after Uvalde shooting in his hometown

Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey pressured American politicians to reach across the aisle to unite on action amid an "epidemic" of gun violence after a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school Tuesday in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.

"As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my hometown of Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedom grants us," the 52-year-old Dallas Buyers Club star tweeted after the shooting.

He continued, "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?' We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo."

He went on to urge Americans to "rearrange our values and find common ground" on an issue that has "tragically become our children's issue," seemingly referencing multiple mass shootings over the years that have involved children, such as the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary massacre and the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

"This is an epidemic we can control, whichever side of the aisle we may stand on. We all know we can do better. 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," McConaughey concluded in his message. "And to those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming."

The words of McConaughey — who has publicly considered a political career, including a potential bid to become the governor of Texas, in the recent past — come the day after an 18-year-old gunman entered Robb Elementary armed with multiple weapons, killing students and their teachers in the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook. As of Wednesday morning, one 10-year-old remained in critical condition at a local hospital, while many families still awaited news on their missing children, reports The New York Times.

Other famous figures like Taylor Swift, The View personality Ana Navarro, Viola Davis, Julianne Moore, Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson, and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr have emphatically spoken out against gun violence in America and senators' lack of action on the issue.

"Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde," Swift tweeted in response to Kerr's pre-game press conference Tuesday night, in which he shouted that he was "tired of the moments of silence" and chastised the nation's political leaders. "By Buffalo, Laguna Woods, and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve's words ring so true and cut so deep."

In response to the violence, CBS chose to pull Tuesday's FBI season finale from its lineup, as the episode followed characters as they worked to prevent a school shooting.

See more responses to the Uvalde shooting below.

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