Uvalde Native Matthew McConaughey Called The Texas Shooting A Fail & 'We Must Do Better'

This article contains content that may be upsetting to some of our readers.

The shooting in Matthew McConaughey's hometown of Uvalde, Texas, has evoked a strong response from the actor, and now he's calling for real change in light of the recent tragedy.

A gunman killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Ulvade where McConnaughey grew up on Tuesday. The gunman also died at the scene. Seventeen others were injured in the attack, the governor of Texas said.

McConaughey took to his Instagram to share his thoughts on the shooting and said: "We have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the right our freedoms grant us."

"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?' We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo," said McConaughey's Instagram caption.

McConaughey's Instagram post called for Americans and parents to "re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children's issue."

His comments seemed to hint at gun control, although he didn't explicitly say it.

"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," continued his post. "Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.

The actor made headlines in 2021 when he announced that he was considering running for governor in Texas but decided not to, citing family obligations as the reason.

Other celebrities have also spoken out over the incident, including another Texas star, Selena Gomez.

Gomez shared her thoughts on Twitter and tweeted: "Today in my home state of Texas, 18 innocent students were killed while simply trying to get an education."

"A teacher killed doing her job; an invaluable yet sadly underappreciated job. If children aren't safe at school, where are they safe?" Gomez wrote in her tweet.

More victims were reported dead after her tweet.

"It's so frustrating, and I'm not sure what to say anymore," said Gomez in a following tweet. "Those in power need to stop giving lip service and actually change the laws to prevent these shootings in the future."

Several other celebrities also reacted with frustration and sadness.

"F*CKING ENOUGH!" wrote Chris Evans.

"Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde," tweeted Taylor Swift.