Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey took the podium at Tuesday's White House press briefing to honor the victims of the shooting incident in his hometown Uvalde, after his brief private meeting with President Biden and his visit to Capitol Hill to discuss legislation on gun reform.
CBN News reported that the actor, and a gun owner himself, delivered an intense, heartfelt 22-minute speech that consists of the stories of the kids who died in the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. He and his wife visited the kid's funerals for the past week, with an emotional call to the Congress to firm up and pass gun reforms that can save lives without having to violate the Second Amendment rights.
Stories of Kids Shot in Uvalde Tugs the Heart
McConaughey expressed the need to tell the stories of the innocent victims to open eyes and hearts and make people realize that the only way to honor the 19 children and 2 teachers killed at Robb Elementary School is to take more action on gun control, said CNN.
The actor went as far as bringing green colored Converse shoes the same as the ones that one girl wore every day in school that became the way for her body to be identified after the incident. He continued sharing that the little girl drew a heart on one of the shoes.
He also showed artwork of a 10-year-old girl named Alithia who wants to go to Paris to study and show the world her works. He said that her parents feel that sharing their daughter's artworks with others would surely make Alithia smile in heaven. McConaughey shared that the drawing was a self-portrait of Alithia and a friend looking down from heaven and to this, her mother said, "We never really talked to her about heaven before, but somehow she knew."
Another story that struck was that of a 9-year-old girl named Ellie Garcia, whom he found out was memorizing a Bible verse, which she will read at their church service but was not able to anymore since she died the day it was supposed to be read. The Bible verse was from Deuteronomy 6:5. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might," which McConaughey himself read in front of all the reporters.
In a separate news from CBN, the little girl was able to share Jesus with the public through a Facebook video shared by her father, where she said, "Jesus. He died for us. So when we die, we'll be up there with Him."
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Counselors Needed in Uvalde for a Very Long Time, McConaughey Said
The actor said that the town is in deep shock. The pain, denial, disillusion, anger, and all other emotions for lives lost and dreams halted. He went on to say that most of the bodies of the victims were so mutilated that only DNA tests "or green Converse could identify them." "Many children were left not only dead but hollow. So, yes, counselors are going to be needed in Uvalde for a long time," says the actor emotionally.
A "viable path forward." This is his plea. McConaughey insisted that responsible parties should at least be committed to taking the time, to sit down and have genuine discussions on an improved path forward. "A path that can bring us closer together and make us safer as a country, a path that can actually get something done this time," as quoted.
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