Actor Matthew McConaughey holds the photo of Alithia Ramirez, one of the victims of the Texas massacre. Photo: AP
Actor Matthew McConaughey appeared at the White House to honor the victims of the Uvalde, Texas massacre and to ask the political class to let go of your differences and approve of real changes to access weapons.
The speech by McConaughey, a native of Uvalde who is also the owner of weapons, was awaited with great anticipation in the briefing room of the White House. The reporters have seen surprised by his meaningful speech and the level of detail of his words.
Speaking about the bodies of 19 children murdered at Robb de Uvalde Elementary School, the actor remarked that minors they could only be identified by DNA tests or through their clothing due to the level of destruction they suffered from an AR-15 assault rifle.
Camila Alves McConaughey, Matthew McConaughey’s wife, wore a pair of sneakers used to identify one of the victims. Photo: REUTERS
McConaughey, who was in Uvalde last week to meet families, told the story of Maite Rodríguez10 years old and that when she grew up she wanted to be a marine biologist.
“Maite wore green Converse sneakers with a heart that he had drawn on the toe of his right foot because they represented his love for nature,” the actor said and then pointed to the shoes that rested on his wife Camila Alves’ lap. among the participants.
“He wore them every day. Some Converse sneakers with a heart on his right fingers. Those are the same Converse sneakers, on his feet, which turned out to be the only evidence that could identify Maite after the shooting,” concluded McConaughey, with the voice trembling more and more.
He punched the podium with a closed fist that the White House spokesperson uses to give her press conferences and, after clearing her throat, continued to talk about Maite and the other murdered children.
He told the story of Alithia Ramírez, 10, who dreamed of studying art in Paris and whose drawing (a self-portrait of a friend in the sky) the actor showed in front of the cameras.
Matthew McConaughey was moved when he spoke about the Texas massacre. Photo: AP
“Her mother told me she had never been told about heaven before, but somehow she already knew,” said McConaughey, who also spoke of Ramírez’s father who just got a job and told his daughter every night that I would take her to Disney World.
McConaughey spoke of 9-year-old Eliahna Garcia preparing to read a passage from the Bible during a Wednesday evening mass; and she also remembered Irma García, one of the two teachers killed and whose husband died of a heart attack shortly after the shooting.
“You know what all the parents said to Camila and me? They told us they want their children’s dreams to last. They want their children’s dreams to continue, to realize something after they are gone. They want the loss of their lives to matterMcConaughey pleaded.
Matthew McConaughey, between anger and hope
Alternating anger, sadness and hope, the actor felt that in this moment there is a “unique opportunity” to pass laws which make it more difficult for the “bad guys” to get hold of guns.
Matthew McConaughey in the White House meeting room, where he gave his speech. Photo: AFP
He believed that the United States is more united than politicians reflect, and that society requires laws that allow “responsible” possession of weapons, for example by checking a criminal record or raising the age from 18 to 21 to who wants semi-automatic rifles, capable of firing a large number of bullets without reloading.
“These they are reasonable and practical rules“said McConaughey, who felt that those who own weapons in the United States are” fed up “with” disturbed individuals “who abuse the Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to own and bear weapons.
McConaughey himself has guns and his position is that of increase controls on the possession of weaponsdon’t ban it, an idea shared by many Americans.
According to the White House, McConaughey briefly met with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
The actor has also held meetings over the past two days in Congress with several Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including those who are negotiate a bill to increase gun controls and who hope to reach an agreement by the end of the week.
Gun violence is leading cause of death for children under 18 in the United States, where 18,000 children and adolescents are killed or injured by gunshots every year, according to the organization Every Town for Gun Safety.
Source: EFE
Source: Clarin
