Actor Matthew McConaughey abruptly raised his hand and slammed it down on the podium during a press conference at the White House where he argued in favor of gun control measures.
“We need responsible gun ownership. We need background checks. We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle to 21,” McConaughey said. “We need a waiting period for those rifles. We need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them.”
“These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations to our nation, states, communities and homes,” he continued. “Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals. These regulations are not a step back, they’re a step forward for a civil society and the Second Amendment.”
Red flag laws allow co-workers or acquaintances to tell law enforcement to indefinitely suspend the Second Amendment rights of legal gun owners, bypassing the normal route of due process.
McConaughey became emotional when stating that a victim of a recent shooting wore “green hightop Converse with a heart she had hand drawn on the right toe because they had represented her love of nature.”
“Camilla’s got these shoes, can you show these shoes please?” he asked his wife Camilla Alves, who was sitting off to the side of the room. “Wore these every day. Green Converse, with a heart on the right toe. These were the same green Converse that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her at the shooting.”
McConaughey finished the sentence with an irregular cadence, raised his hand and aggressively struck the podium, and declared “How about that?” before making a noise akin to clearing one’s throat.
WATCH: Actor Matthew McConaughey, who is a native of Uvalde, Texas, says green Converse shoes were the only way to identify a victim of the Robb Elementary School massacre. pic.twitter.com/uNBoeExGcg
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 7, 2022
The actor’s speech received a mixed reception, with many liberal activists praising it online while one reporter in the room asked “Were you grandstanding just now, sir?”
