Matthew McConaughey Gives Emotional Speech At White House Press Briefing

Matthew McConaughey delivered a passionate speech about "responsible gun ownership" at Tuesday's White House press briefing.

Earlier Tuesday (June 7), the Dallas Buyers Club actor met President Joe Biden ahead of his speech. His speech centered on gun reform, mental health, media coverage and keeping schools safe, according to The Wrap and ABC News.

"These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations. 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 civil society and the Second Amendment," McConaughey said.

The Uvalde, Texas, native said he "learned responsible gun ownership" in his hometown. "It’s where my mom taught kindergarten — less than a mile from Robb Elementary. Uvalde is where I learned to master a Daisy BB gun ... took two years before I graduated to a .410 shotgun. Uvalde is where I was taught to revere the power and the capability of the tool that we call a gun," he said.

McConaughey's wife, Camila Alves, was in attendance at Tuesday's press briefing, holding onto a pair of green Converse from one of the victims in the Robb Elementary School shooting. McConaughey said the shoes were the "only clear evidence that could identify her." He added, "These bodies were very different. They needed extensive restoration. Why? Due to the exceptionally large exit wounds of an AR-15 rifle. Most of the bodies were so mutilated that only DNA tests or green Converse could identify them."

McConaughey, who recently visited his hometown of Uvalde in the days after the deadly shooting, shared some of the same ideas he recently published in his Austin American-Statesman op-ed. He continued to say that gun reform should not be a partisan issue. "Is this a cure all? Hell no. But people are hurting, families are hurting. This should not be a partisan issue. There is not a Democratic or Republican value in one single of these shooters. But people in power have failed to act. So we’re asking you and I’m asking you will you please ask yourselves? Can both sides rise above? Can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand and admit that we have a life preservation problem?"

You can watch Matthew McConaughey's speech below: