On Tuesday, endorsing a series of gun control proposals that coincided with some of President Joe Biden’s radical agenda, Actor Matthew McConaughey, a native of Uvalde, Texas, appeared at the White House press briefing.
At the press briefing, McConaughey said-
“As I said, this moment is different,” “We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before. A window in where it seems like real change — real change can happen.”
- Actor Matthew McConaughey
Visiting his hometown of Uvalde, Texas last week, where a recent mass school shooting killed 19 children and two adults, McConaughey said he spent time with the victims and their families. He brought his impassioned thoughts on the subject to the briefing.
McConaughey was said to asked reporters-
“How can the loss of these lives matter?”. “While we honor and acknowledge the victims, we need to recognize that this time, seems like something else is different.”
- Actor Matthew McConaughey
An emotional McConaughey shared the stories of the children who were shot and killed during the mass shooting at the elementary school, in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas. There were moments that he teared up and slapped the podium. Referring to the mutilation of the bodies of the children that were killed, he specifically called out the use of an AR-15 rifle for leaving them “not only dead but hollow.” He claimed that he was bringing a message from the people of his hometown. He said-
“We want secure and safe schools and we want gun laws that won’t make it so easy for the bad guys to get these damn guns,” adding that the media should “restrain sensationalized media coverage” and noting that “Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals,” calling more gun laws a “step forward” and “We are not as divided as we’re being told we are,” calling for some “middle ground” and declaring “This should be a non-partisan issue,” and closing with “We got take a sober, humble and honest look in the mirror and rebrand ourselves on what we truly value,”
- Actor Matthew McConaughey
All of America, with their families, truly mourns the loss of these children and their teachers, and understands the passion with which Mr. McConaughey is confronting this issue. He is right, this is more personal for him – the horror came to his own hometown. A school shooting in his back yard is “different”. Murder is ugly, defiles the person killed, as well as those who are left behind to go on with their memories of the horror. No one’s home town should be in this position, ever.
While he calls for more gun laws however, he plays into the hands of those who will always be able to access these guns irrespective of the laws that are in place. Yes, there should be background checks, possibly some age restriction, however more to the point, there needs to be an emphasis on interviewing the persons buying these rifles to identify those who might use them wrongfully. The mental state of the person purchasing a firearm of any kind has to be considered.
Our society wants to blame this on the gun, but guns don’t pull their own trigger. Sadly, as we face the loss of these lives, America must not fall prey to an emotionalism that cripples the nations focus on the defending itself against the political tyranny that seeks to use these lost lives as a means to gently, but effectively, press their agenda which has been a part of the democratic platform for decades.
America must be sensitive to the horror of this catastrophic loss of life, however, the simple passing of more gun laws is not the answer. Citizens of all types should, as Mr. McConaughey stated, come together. We need to evaluate how best to handle the issue of mental health, the failure of how we are raising our youth and the moral decay that is a central part of it all.
In agreement with Mr. McConaughey, the media has a big job in affecting positive change, by not sensationalizing these events and seeming to glorify those perpetrating these acts, rather than condemning them. Just because it sells air time and advertising, does not make a right.
Moreover, constant review by pundits lifts up, even aggrandizes these perpetrators, which should never be. A troubled youth looking for a place to find his/her significance could easily be seen copycatting someone else’s horrific act. Again, the Media can hurt or help, and are responsible for fair but self-limiting coverage of such events.
Essentially, we are going to be, America needs to mindful of the fact that people kill and guns don’t. We are truly dealing with a sickness of the mind here, essentially an attitude of the heart. This shooter was reaching out for notice in a system that had obviously failed him. What he did was horrible, but why he did this is the question. Defining what went wrong is important for the millions of lives that a social course correction may yet save. Again, no one’s home town should ever have to face this.
Regarding an earlier school shooting, former Los Angeles police officer J. Warner Wallace identified four driving causes:
“an increase in social media use”; “an increased dependency on prescription medicine”; “an increase in single parent households”; and “a decrease in traditional Christian values,”
-J. Warner Wallace, Officer LAPD
Today’s youth are growing up without any moral underpinnings. When one has no morality, there is no self-control and the mind reaches and stretches for whatever significance it can find - even to the point of shooting and killing others. This is a sad testimony to the American culture in which we currently live, a point of great moral failure.
For these mentally lost persons, life has no value, no meaning, no reason to be and evil abounds. Addressing these failures alongside of better assessments of those purchasing these rifles is what is needed. Laws only affect the law-abiding, they do not stop those who intend wickedness against others or keep them from obtaining these weapons. May America strive to make choices that effect positive change and not tie the hands of law-abiding citizens of this nation.