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Matthew McConaughey Sold the White House’s Gun-Grabbing Agenda Today Just Like He Has for Years – Opinion

By Pluralist / June 7, 2022

The briefing at the White House on Tuesday spent over twenty minutes generating support for an attack on gun rights. Matthew McConaughey was their tool in this exercise. McConaughey has a talent (I think) and he is highly respected (I suppose). I’ve seen two of his films and enjoyed them both. McConaughey hails from Uvalde in Texas. McConaughey, an actor and Uvalde native, is, therefore, uniquely qualified to establish gun control policy in the United States.

McConaughey’s time at the White House press briefing room lectern was interesting and perhaps even effective in convincing the mushy middle and go-along-to-get-along Vichy Republicans to abandon the Second Amendment. I say that because some of the hosts on Fox News were tripping over themselves to declare it a sign that we have entered a “new moment” where gun grabbers and law-abiding gun owners can realize the prophecy found in Isaiah 11:6.

There were two parts to McConaughey’s speech. He outlined his specific recommendations in USA Today. Do real people (other than those who live in hotels/motels) read the paper? op-ed and covered by my colleague Bob Hoge’s post titled Matthew McConaughey Op-Ed Calls for Gun ‘Responsibility’ After Uvalde. These are tired, old arguments that have been in existence for over 20 years.

  • Background checks
  • Except for the military, you must be 21 years of age to acquire a modern sporting gun.
  • “Red flag” laws should be national.
  • For modern rifles for sport, there is an annual waiting period.

Background checks are required for firearm purchases. This has been in place for over 20 years. I don’t understand why we allow people to vote at 18 and not allow them the full benefit of citizenship…and you can enlist in the Armed Forces at 17; would that be an exception? Red Flag laws encourage abuse. McConaughey recognizes this by his call for “consequences” for false claims. This is just dishonest (I say that because I don’t think McConaughey is blindingly stupid). If anyone is ever punished for making a false Red Flag claim, politicians and the media will go ballistic about “chilling” the right to report. Do you think someone who has been subject to Red Flag orders ever gets their guns back. Which judge would take on the responsibility of ordering the removal of the gun-grabbing orders and allow the individual to go out and commit murder? There is already a wait time to purchase modern sporting rifles. A background check is required and the payment method must be approved.

In short, I didn’t hear anything new, workable, or acceptable in the sales pitch. It was the epitome of “Simple.”2D2. These lines were well-rehearsed, skilfully recited, and yet, they had one goal: gradually remove the rights of everyone other than celebrity bodyguards to have a gun.

McConaughey gave a few words of support to the conservatives by praising Mom and family values. While I think that those are the real solutions for the problem, he offered no policy ideas for how to accomplish those, which leads to the conclusion that those are just bullsh** platitudes strewn about to confuse the yokels.

It was the Appeal to Emotion that was the main focus of the presentation.

McConaughey’s speech was clearly coordinated with the Oval Office, as Joey SoftServe used the same example four days earlier.

McConaughey also used “common sense” and “responsible” like a cudgel. You were one if you took part in his first steps towards gun confiscation. If you refused, neither.

Actors are entitled to the same opinions as all of us. Jane Fonda and Jessica Lange were the three witnesses before the Senate on the current state of American farms. They had each played farm wives. As I remember, great insights (just laughing). McConaughey had advocated previously for the ban of modern sporting rifles. This is the coverage of McConaughey’s speech as the headliner at March for Our Lives 2018.

“I’m here for many reasons today. One of them is because I’m an American citizen, another of them is that I’m a lifelong and proud Texan,” he began. “Third one is that I do believe in what the March for Our Lives is trying to do here. “I believe in what they’re trying to achieve here. But most importantly, I’m here because I’m a husband and I’m a father.”

While the Texan-native stressed that he is not suggesting guns be taken away from law-abiding citizens, he did acknowledge the “epidemic” happening around the country.

“I’m not here to talk about politics. I’m not a politician. We grew as hunters like so many other people in the south. We killed a deer, eaten venison, we proudly mounted the horns on our walls,” he said. “But I want to be clear that today’s march is not about taking away the rights of the law-abiding American citizens to buy own and bear arms. Let’s be clear about that.”

He added: “At the same time let’s admit that we have an epidemic in our country right now that we need to fix. And those of us who are legal and responsible American citizen gun owners, it’s time to join hands. It’s time to get into the arena it’s time to step up to the line and help heal our country.”

McConaughey argued for the banning of assault weapons in civilians as well closing loopholes in current background checks.

“One, let’s ban the assault weapons for civilians. It is simple. And to my friends out there that are responsible owners of these recreational assault weapons that they use for recreation, please let’s just take one for the team here and set it down. That issue saves lives,” he said. “Number two, let’s restrict the capacity of the magazines. Here’s the deal: Texas has a limit of three shells for hunting migratory bird species. The numbers are easy. You get my point.”

“The third one,” he continued. “Let’s better regulate the background checks that are already in place and close the loopholes that exist in those background checks.”

And of course, the actor couldn’t help but include his signature line his speech.

“Now, those are the three main stipulations and for those three I can say it, you can say it with me: alright, alright, alright.”

McConaughey concluded his speech with a reminder that the issue of gun regulation affects everyone — not just gun owners.

“This is an American issue. It’s a Texan issue. It’s a legal and law-abiding gun owner issue. It’s a mother issue. It’s a father issue. And, quite literally, this is our children’s issue,” he said. “My hope here is that we can find a common ground on what I see as a very much a commonsense issue. This issue is anchored in purpose and for everyone. It’s not anchored in politics it’s anchored in purpose.”

“God bless and just keep living.”

These are clips of that speech. Watch today’s performance, and you can see McConaughey has been playing this role, using a lot of the same inflection, for at least four years.

While you can let actors deliver your intellectual and policy content I do not. I don’t need an actor who shills for gun control groups by playing the role of a “down-home, good guy Texan who, except for the millions of dollars and fame, who loves guns and the Second Amendment, but, by gosh, can’t we just have a little responsibility and common sense in giving up your rights for no measurable effect.” Once we start down the road to gun confiscation, there is no end. His agenda is not based on commonsense or responsibility. Bet is oblivious to this fact, no matter what the conservative media may be saying about him.Ao O’Rourke: Don’t Bother Me With Your ‘Common Sense’ Gun-Grabbing Ideas, I’m Not Playing the Game.

 

 

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