Uvalde Native Matthew McConaughey Addresses 'Devastating American Reality' of Mass Shooting

Uvalde matters to McConaughey for a personal reason; it is the Oscar-winning actor's hometown.

FRISCO - All across the Texas map, from the Dallas Cowboys to the Dallas Mavericks to now actor Matthew McConaughey, people with platforms are speaking out about Tuesday's tragic mass shooting that devastated the small Texas city of Uvalde, where at least 19 children were killed at Robb Elementary.

Uvalde matters to McConaughey for a personal reason; it is the Oscar-winning actor's hometown.

"Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us," McConaughey wrote in a statement just after midnight that appeared on his social media platforms.

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The shooting at the elementary school came at the hands of an 18-year-old gunman, who according to officials had shot his grandmother and crashed his vehicle near the campus and "was shooting everybody" when he entered the building, where second-, third- and fourth-graders were attending class.

McConaughey wrote that Americans need to "rearrange our values" so that people can find common ground "above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children's issue."

"The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, 'What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?'" he wrote. "We can't exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo."

McConaughey, 52, who has called himself "a simple kid born in the little town of Uvalde'' and who has considered running for governor of Texas, added, "This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better."

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