Matthew McConaughey, an outspoken advocate of “responsible gun ownership,” shared a tense exchange with The View’s host Joy Behar after she questioned the actor’s anti-gun stance.
McConaughey made an appearance on the show to promote his children’s book Just Because, discussing the importance of his work for him as a father of three. Co-host Sunny Hostin then changed direction and applauded the actor for being “so outspoken against violence, and gun violence in particular.”
“In 2021, you considered a run for governor of the state of Texas before deciding to focus on your family. Do you think political office is in your future?” Hostin asked.
“If it’s where I would deem myself most useful, yes,” the Interstellar star responded. “Right now, I want to be most useful as a father.”
Behan further questioned, “Do you think you could get elected in Texas being anti-gun?”
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Pointing a finger at Behar, McConaughey responded, “One thing about me and politics, to give you a direct statement right there, is me playing a game I’m not interested in playing.”
“Ok, don’t do it,” Behar conceded and then tried to make peace saying, “I did want to say that I’ve done a lot of research in terms of your advocacy, and I don’t know that you’re anti-gun, I think you’re pro-gun responsibility and legislation.”
Following the 2022 shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, during which 19 students and two teachers were killed by an 18-year-old former student at Robb Elementary School, McConaughey attended a White House briefing, urging Americans to “renegotiate our wants from our needs.”
“We need responsible ownership, we need background checks. We need to raise the minimum to purchase an AR 15 rifle to 21. We need a waiting period for those rifles. We need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them, these are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations,” he said.
The Oscar-winning actor added, “Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals.”
Since the tragic incident, the actor and his wife, Camila Alves, launched the Greenlights Grant Initiative, whose goal is to “create safer school environments and ensure the well-being of our children.”
McConaughey and Alves share three children together, Alves: Levi, 15, Vida, 13, and Livingston, 10.
