Matthew McConaughey penned a heartbreaking note about his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old gunman ruthlessly killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school on Tuesday.
After learning of the horror on his home soil, McConaughey issued a call to action to combat gun violence.
“As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my hometown of Uvalde, Texas,” the actor wrote on social media.
“Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.”
The Oscar winner called for Americans to take a “longer and deeper look in the mirror,” adding, “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?”
McConaughey called for an end to making “excuses and accepting these tragic realities as the status quo.”
The actor, who moved from Uvalde to Longview, Texas, at the age of 11, said the endless news of gun violence in the US is “an epidemic we can control.”
“Whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better,” he continued. “Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.”
McConaughey urged Americans to find “common ground” to put an end to mass shootings once and for all.
“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’ll keep them coming,” he concluded.
McConaughey previously described himself as supporting the Second Amendment while also being an advocate of stricter firearm laws.
The actor has a long history of activism in his home state and even considered running for governor last year.
He ultimately decided not to run for office in November.
“As a simple kid born in the little town of Uvalde, Texas, it never occurred to me that I would one day be considered for political leadership,” McConaughey said at the time. “It’s a humbling and inspiring path to ponder. It is also a path that I am choosing not to take at this moment.”
