Matthew McConaughey is calling for action after the tragic mass shooting killed 19 students and two teachers in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.
Uvalde is a small town in south Texas of just 24,700 people, according to the 2021 census.
McConaughey, who has always expressed pride in being Texan, said on Twitter, “we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.”
He called on “every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror” to think about their values and how to repair the issues the country faces.
“This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better,” the Uvalde native wrote.
McConaughey was born in Uvalde, west of San Antonio, in 1969.
He spent most of his early childhood there before moving to east Texas.
McConaughey has previously considered running for governor of Texas, but never specified with which party he would align.
He eventually turned down a run for governor in 2021 and said he would explore other forms of service instead.