Actor Matthew McConaughey calls for gun legislation in DC visit

>> Academy Award—winning actor Matthew McConaughey used an appearance at the White House Tuesday to call on Congress to “reach a higher ground” and pass gun control legislation in honor of the children and teachers killed in last month's shooting rampage at an elementary school in his home town of Uvalde, Texas.

In a highly personal 22-minute speech, McConaughey exhorted a gridlocked Congress to pass gun reforms that can save lives without infringing on Second Amendment rights.

McConaughey, a gun owner himself, used his star power to make an argument for legislation in a fashion that the Biden administration has not been able to, offering a clear connection to the small Texas town and vividly detailing the sheer loss of the 19 children and two teachers in the second worst mass school shooting in U.S. history.

He specifically called on Congress to bolster background checks for gun purchases and raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 style rifle to 21 from 18.

“We want secure and safe schools and we want gun laws that won't make it so easy for the bad guys to get the damn guns,” McConaughey said.

McConaughey, who earlier this year considered a run for governor in Texas before taking a pass, met briefly in private with President Joe Biden before addressing the White House press corps from the James Brady briefing room. McConaughey has also met with key lawmakers this week including the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that handles gun legislation, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, and the panel's ranking Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.