Uvalde's most famous native son is speaking out about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, and he's imploring the nation to "do better." Matthew McConaughey, who was born in the Texas town where at least 21 people died Tuesday afternoon, called on Americans to "renegotiate our wants from our needs" when it comes to dealing with "an epidemic we can control," reports CNN. "Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us," the 52-year-old Dallas Buyers Club and A Time to Kill actor said in a statement shared on his social media.
"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?'" McConaughey, who last year had mulled a run for governor of Texas, wrote. "'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." He added: "We all know we can do better. We must do better. ... We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality."
USA Today notes that another Texas native, singer and actor Selena Gomez, also weighed in on the tragedy. "Today in my home state of Texas 18 innocent students were killed while simply trying to get an education," she wrote on Twitter. "A teacher killed doing her job; an invaluable yet sadly under appreciated job. If children aren't safe at school where are they safe?" Check out reactions from other celebrities like Taylor Swift, Missy Elliott, and Schitt's Creek actor Dan Levy here. (More Uvalde mass shooting stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
