Matthew McConaughey was born and raised in Texas, and he still lives in the state and raises his children there. He toyed around with the idea that he would run for governor, but it didn’t even sound like he could make up his mind about his political affiliation, in addition to his completely incoherent positions on women’s rights and vaccines. Well, now Matthew has something to say about the murder of nineteen children and their teacher in an elementary school in Uvalde. From his Instagram:
“As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas,” McConaughey’s statement begins. “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?’ We cannot exhale once again, make excuses and accept these tragic realties as the status quo.”
“As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it’s time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue.”
“This is an epidemic we can control, and 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.”
“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.”
Yeah, I’m not going to criticize him for wanting to say something or for being devastated that there are nineteen babies murdered in his hometown. Matthew is sick and tired, and we’re all sick and tired. All that being said, this sh-t ain’t it. We’re well past the moment where anyone can say or write “This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better.” This is not both-sides. This is not “thoughts and prayers, we need to work on this or something.” A call to action should have a better plan of action than “re-evalute.” Until the country is full of single-issue gun-control voters willing to punish candidates for being pro-gun and pro-dead-child, nothing will change.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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Coach Steve Kerr is the only one to point out who the problem was in Congress. He didn’t both sides nothing.
Prolific white people, be a Steve Kerr.
Right on @Tiffany. I could feel the rage in his statement. I can’t believe nothing has been done sincesansy hook. There are true criminals in the congress.
Steve Kerr is my hero. I watched his press conference last night and thought he was exactly right. Enough with “thoughts and prayers”. I am sickened that this continues to be ALLOWED to happen.
Steve put it perfectly. It’s not complicated. The minute anyone says gun control the gun lobby screams”THEIR COMING TO TAKE YOUR GUNS!”
No. They’re. Not. They have to stop selling any guns created for war. All the automatic and semi-automatic rifles and pistols need to stop being sold immediately. The U.S. needs to buy back any illegal ones previously purchased. Most members of the NRA are fine with gun control. IT’S THE GUN MANUFACTURERS THAT ARE FIGHTING THIS. It’s not about anyones constitutional rights.
IT’S ABOUT MONEY! More kids will die so that gun companies can make more money.
Mr. Kerr speaks from his own past. His dad was among several persons who were murdered by gunmen at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon when Steve was a teen. Besides being one of my favourite players for the Bulls during the Michael Jordan era, he is always insightful and truly cares about others.
Matthew is talking out of both sides of his mouth because he has political aspirations, and he will need money. F*ck him and his bongo drums.
Thanks for sharing about Steve Jett’s dad. I did not know. He is a great, thoughtful man.
And, yes, fuck Matt and his damn bongo drums.
I watched Steve Kerr’s interview and this morning I called my senators. I really appreciate him being so emphatic and knowledgeable.
I have a 2nd grader and a kindergartener and I live in Texas. A Sandy Hook situation was my greatest fear for them up until Covid sent them home. I cannot fathom how the families who lost their children are coping today.
MM is from Uvalde, but this is empty platitudes. Do better.
Where are all the ‘pro-life’ voices when actual children are being slaughtered?
Seriously. It’s immoral to have an abortion but totally fine for those same kids to be murdered by a random psychopath with a gun because YoU cAN’t tAke awAY mY gUns!
Exactly.
This doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world, but it’s a daily occurrence in America. A country where you have a reasonable fear of being shot any time, anywhere, at any age? That’s not freedom.
Omg, yes!
It’s much easier to advocate for a fetus than a human being who’s been born, and – annoyingly – has needs and rights, and a voice – if it hasn’t been silenced through oppression. I wonder if any Republican can show me where Jesus said to only give a sh#t about people until they’re born.
In no way did he explicitly say gun control. While I empathize that his heart may be broken, this is the kind of homogenous nothing statements that makes zero traction, and it’s a clue as to what kind of politician he’d be.
It rings pretty hollow to me.
Yup, this was actually a very cynical statement playing to ‘both sides’. Not sure he was really very upset.
My thought as well. He says a bunch of words that skirt around the real issue. Trying to keep his options open in case he runs Republican I guess.
MM purposefully said nothing-at-all gibberish here. Repubs who voted for Abbott, Ted Cruz, and John Cornyn got exactly the conditions they wanted, so it’s doubtful they actually want anything to change.
the words “gun” and “shooting” don’t appear anywhere in this statement, e.g he’s not serious.
It’s time to fight dirty. Democrats have been “going high” for years now and it’s done nothing. Also, in your own towns, don’t buy from businesses that are against your values. I literally go over to the next county (blue) to spend money because I won’t put another dime in mine (78% trump). Where I live I can’t even put up a pro-democrat sign for the fear of having it destroyed or worse. I’m sick of living this way. Eff these people and their snowflake knee jerk reactions and trump. It’s time to fight back as dirty as they do.
I live in 100% blue country and they don’t go high, either – they just talk high. For all our talk, we’ve got 15 year-olds carrying guns.
Totally agree. Thanks for having some integrity. Doing the right thing isn’t convenient and we need to embrace that.
Oh, so dramatic, yet so lacking in substance. MM, a parent, can’t be moved by this horror to take a position on the very real threat to his own children?!
I read replies on twitter about this news and it still surprise me that so many people againts gun control. And their reason were so stupid like, there are still criminal with gun etc I still cant wrap around my head their logic. US gun culture is really dangerous. As Asian, imagining someone have rambolike gun (I dont know what its called) is crazy. Like why ?? Do you want to go to war or something
I’m with you, zappy. As a Canadian living in a remote forest community, despite the presence of bears, I still cannot conceive of any individual person needing a Rambo gun (I don’t know what they’re called either, and I don’t want to know). The collective distortion about gun rights in a significant percentage of the US population is something I just cannot grasp. I have moments of sadness about never setting foot in the states ever again but that stance is only become stronger.
Yeah all he said was words. Thanks Matt.
Yup he wants to be a politician, so here he is talking.
I’d be willing to bet McConaughey consistently votes Republican b/c “they’re the party of financial accountability” (they’re not) & b/c they support lower taxes for rich folks. Of course as a rich, white, ostensibly Christian guy his family will be safe from draconian GQP policies so keeping his taxes lower despite the rest of the damage GOP does to the country is worth the trade off.
He is firmly entrenched in the system of oppression. He benefits and really doesn’t care about anyone else. He’s full of -ish.
“Both sides” people are garbage.
There is a famous MLK quote about how its not your enemies but your “friends” who stand silently in the face of injustice – that is the real evil.
I may be off on the actual quote- but i feel the meaning.
And every gop voter- whatever their *reason*- is promoting evil and pretending not to.
Yes, everyone that votes for the Repugnant’s is the reason we are still here today. We have seen an increase of mass shootings and they will continue to climb as the Repugnant’s in Congress REFUSE to act on behalf of what their constituents NEED!! Interestingly enough, it’s the big meeting with the NRA this weekend too!! While they are all being given millions of dollars to support their agenda, they will continue to support the NRA as they own every single senator!!
What Steve Kerr said is correct.( the Warriors coach, go listen to his speech yesterday about it) We are being held hostage by 50 senators who won’t vote to do anything. I just hope this makes people go out and vote and vote against these horrible people!! The gun culture or -Ammosexuals are out of control here and it’s horrifying.
Steve Kerr is AWESOME. He played for the San Antonio Spurs for many years. He has ties to the South Texas communities. I lived in Uvalde for 13 years. These were my friends, their children and grandchildren that were murdered today. I am numb. Gutted. Broken.
I’m so sorry Sharra.
How devastating for you Sharra; I’m so sorry.
Sharra G, I am so sorry for you. It must be devastating for you and your family. Please accept my sympathies.
He’s a climber. I don’t like him. He sounds like another soulless politician.
It doesn’t take a lot of words to describe what has happened. HORRIBLE and unnecessary.
Stop the word salad, the beating around the bush, just say the words that need to be said and acted upon = GUN CONTROL!
This is NOT a both sides of the aisle problem and everyone knows it whether they will acknowledge it or not.
Steve Kerr was the voice of reason last night. He’s right that we’re stuck bc 50 senators aren’t doing their jobs. What struck me was at the end of his speech, he said that they’ll play basketball. Basically, life still continues despite all these horrors. What if everyone in sports and entertainment just stopped doing their jobs, aka stopped performing and stopping playing games. It stops producing entertainment for us to be distracted. Something drastic needs to happen for us to stop and make the necessary changes so that this doesn’t happen again. First is getting these no-good senators out.
Remember that NBA players tried to do this in 2020, and the establishment trotted out President Obama to neutralize their protests…
Sadly I agree with the people who said that if Sandy Hook wouldn’t change anything, nothing would. And I hate feeling this way, but here we are.
I can’t stand MM and I’m so sick of people saying this is horrible and something should be done. There’s one answer and one answer only – do not vote for any politician endorsed by the NRA (which is basically all of the GOP and a few Dems at this point). Until politicians face negative consequences for doing the NRA’s bidding, nothing will change. But Lorelai, we also can’t give in to hopelessness. That’s what the NRA wants – us feeling like nothing is going to change and giving up. In the late 90s it looked like the gun control lobby was about to win everything and it was hopeless for the gun nuts. But they didn’t give up and here we are, two decades later, suffering the consequences. So we can’t give up either. And if you follow Shannon Watts and Moms Demand Action, you will see that things are happening at the state level (except Texas, because the GOP is nuts and evil there). Of course, the Supreme Court is about to roll back state efforts to control guns, but that’s just another reason to push back against the hopelessness. We owe it to the kids who have died, the kids who go to school terrified, and our future kids to keep on fighting.
They will do NOTHING.ZERO.ZILCH. I see clearly. I have no faith are hope in government. I will vote as long as they let me.
He reminds me of Prince William. Wanna be statesman with no substance. Thinks way to highly of himself but is completely soft and inconsequential. If he runs for a govt position, I hope Texans can see that other politicians are going to run shod over him. He’s not even strong enough to take a position. Punk.
He should volunteer to go clean the blood off the school’s floor. Maybe that’ll get him closer to common ground.
Vague isn’t what’s needed.
The right wants the 58% of Americans who don’t own guns to pay to fortify every public space?
For both sides to listen to this message, you have to stand neutral. If he would’ve said “take away the guns!” all pro-gun people would’ve flipped out and gone to attack instead actually read and listened to what he had to say. I feel like he probably knew how “these” people need to be handled and you can’t talk to them in a way that triggers their defence. Hopefully, by communicating like this, they might take a second, and internalize it, instead of raising their pitch fork claiming their rights. To win someone over they have to feel like they are heard too, otherwise it’s going to backfire.
I think you are right. He knows the minds of the people who need to hear this message and act on it. He’s acknowledging their rights but pointing out those rights come with responsibility and he’s asking them to put needs before wants, and appealing to them as parents. He’s according them respect and allowing them to control the outcome by making the choice to improve things by putting the community’s interests before their own. I think the message is very cleverly worded.
Twenty six years ago, in a town called Dunblane in Scotland, a man committed a massacre at a school. Numerous children were killed. He used a handgun.
The British government’s response was to ban handgun ownership. It’s incredibly difficult to get a gun licence. You need doctor/psychiatric assessment, police assessment, to possess a safe locked not just to but through a wall, and a heap of cash. Unless you’re a farmer or someone who hunts, it is pretty unlikely that you will ever get a gun – let alone see one. If you do see one, it will be carried by an armed policeman/woman.
Though there were protests around gun ownership, the government didn’t mess around. They knew that the lives of children were too precious.
MM is simply saying words. Thoughts and prayers are meaningless. The only way to stop this madness is to legislate, control and prohibit. There are no other options.
Guns do kill people. People with guns kill people. Enough platitudes, and an end to the NRA.
Just to add that Andy Murray was one of the children who escaped that day – he’s said some powerful stuff about the tragedy & also about gun control.
As others have said, if Sandy Hook didn’t do it, nothing will.
The Port Arthur massacre in Australia was the same year as Dunblane. 35 were killed, including 4 children.
Gun legislation was reformed significantly within a matter of months, led by the Conservative party in power, with opposition from gun lobbies and also gun owners. It included buybacks of automatic guns and heavy restrictions for licenses.
Nearly 30 years later our gun deaths are at half the pre-1996 rate (219 vs 521 approx) while the population has risen from 18M to 25M. There is an answer and it’s fucking obvious.
Those words are as insipid as “thoughts and prayers”. He needs to come out and speak the truth — gun control needs a complete f*cking overhaul and to hell with the morons who whine about “muh rights!!!” when 22 innocent children and teachers were mowed down in cold blood. McConaughey needs to speak the cold hard truth, not some new agey nonsense. It’s not “an epidemic we can control”, it’s a catastrophe that’s been out of control for decades.
I see Mr. McConaughey has arrived with the salad course.
Absolutely no substance or solutions. Still word salading out of both sides of his mouth. A completely hollow statement.
VOTE BETO. He at least is a guy that tells it like it is for the issues. From gun control to abortion he is real.
He never even wrote “gun control” in his effin’ statement. If you take out his first sentences that mentions mass shooting, it could’ve been about vaccinations.
This is his supposed hometown. He needs to do better.
Remember when he was worried in 2018 after Parkland that the youth-led gun control movement could be “hijacked” by people who wanted to get rid of guns in the U.S.? Supposedly he supports some sort of gun control, but nobody, including him, knows what that means. Takes a lot of nerve for him to lay this on “every American” with his waffling. Poor boy, he has friends with guns and friends who are in the NRA.
Steve Kerr was amazing. I cried when he spoke yesterday. McConaughey is paying lip service to it. That is all. The problem is that 52 senators won’t do anything because they take money from the nra. Go after those senators. They are the problem Mr. McConaughey.
The oddest thing is the Second Amendment is there to protect against a hostile govt & yet those same rednecks that are all ‘my guns!’ participated in an Insurrection to KEEP a hostile govt that lost the election (Trump) 🤦🏼♀️
I think it’s the fault of both parties, frankly. The GOP literally profiting off of murder and the Dems failing to fight as dirty as their counterparts. It shouldn’t be a partisan issue but it is. The repubs rewrite the rule book as they see fit and the Dems can’t unify enough and stand their ground. Young people and women have skin in the game but can’t afford to run for office. Dems should be pulling their next generation up to deliver a swift kick to the GOP.
IIRC it was Bernie Sanders, Independent VT, who voted against national background checks, and voted for shielding gun companies from any liability in lawsuits when guns are used in crimes. Despite Bernie’s conservative approach to managing his gun messaging, he still appears to be behind other Dems.