After advocating for gun legislation following the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting that left 21 dead, Matthew McConaughey called on politicians to take a “bipartisan approach” to the issues. There have been political sticking points.
The actor and Yuvalde detailed their hometown visit and efforts to encourage bipartisan legislation in Washington, D.C., shortly after the Rob Elementary mass shooting in May. Call it “gun responsibility.” Esquire. McConaughey celebrates the eventual success of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a bill that passed both the House and Senate and that Biden signed into law in June — the first major gun legislation enacted in decades. But one takeaway from the four days he spent in D.C. meeting with politicians on the issue is that he “learned how frustrating politics can be.”
McConaughey concluded, “The new American gun responsibility legislation is, in many ways, a testament to the concept of a meeting call in the middle. Our representatives succeeded. Because They compromised, not despite the fact. To fix our democracy — to save it — our elected officials must adopt a similar bipartisan approach to countless other issues.
In the essay, McConaughey describes how he arrived in Uvalde days after the Robb Elementary shooting and, he writes, met with Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, first responders, mental health professionals and Uvalde families in the wake of the tragedy. . “When meeting each family, mostly in their homes, we did our best to enter slowly, hold their gaze, and let each family member embrace us with open arms only if They wanted. They all did. Some hugs lasted for minutes,” he writes. McConaughey added that she learned not to say “I’m sorry for your loss” or similar sentiments, but to ask, “How was your child, and what was your favorite thing about them?” ?”
Afterward, the actor says he tried to meet with Texas lawmakers about gun reform but was generally rebuffed and advised to take his efforts to the federal government in Washington, D.C. Turn to lawmakers, staunch supporters of the Second Amendment, who have nonetheless advocated background checks for all gun purchases. Raising the minimum age to purchase assault rifles for those not in the military to 21, says he held “thirty separate” meetings with senators and representatives and hosted dinners for policymakers across the aisle. . “While those on both sides readily testified to the truth and practical merits of their respective positions, the challenge was to get them to recognize that their argument needed a comma at the end, not a period. Yes, We need more regulations, And We need to invest in mental health care,” McConaughey writes.
Shortly after that trip, Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which expands background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21 and provides more funding for mental health efforts, among other provisions. Is. McConaughey says the legislation “doesn’t solve everything.” He adds, “Did our efforts work? I’m told they did. Part of me hopes that’s true. But another part of me is disappointed that we can do effect is We didn’t show up on the hill with a new invention or groundbreaking argument. We helped frame the debate in reasonable ways.
Overall, the actor notes, he was frustrated by his observation that “sometimes it feels like politicians don’t really want solutions, because solutions put them out of a job” and that “ideas often trump substance.” More importance is given.” The actor, who has previously said his state, Texas, needs an “aggressively focused” leadership, criticizing both Democrats and Republicans for being “harmfully consumed” by his fight for the other side. are happening
At the end of his article, he makes a central argument that legislation and personal responsibility are necessary to protect America. McConaughey also called for a more bipartisan, compromise-based means of governing: “America can only prosper when all parties answer the call. And All arguments end in a comma. When we reach higher ground, we will find common ground,” he writes.