Actor Matthew McConaughey delivered an emotional address at the White House where he shared details about the schoolaged victims of the Uvalde shooting massacre. Before his appearance in the White House briefing room, Mr McConaughey, who hails from Uvalde, met with President Joe Biden to discuss gun reforms. Below is a rough transcript of the actor’s comments:

       To make the loss of these lives matter. My wife and I, my wife and I Camilla we spent most of last week on the ground with the families in Uvalde, Texas we shared stories, tears and memories, the common thread, independent of the anger and the confusion, sadness. It was the same. How can these families continue to honor these deaths? By keeping the dreams of these children and teachers alive?

       Again, how can a loss of these lives matter? While we honor and acknowledge the victims, we need to recognize that this time seems that something is different. There’s a sense that perhaps there’s a viable path forward. responsible parties in this debate seem to at least be committed to sitting down and having a real conversation about a new and improved path forward. A path that can bring us closer together and make us safer as a country a path that can actually get something done this time.

       Camille and I came here to share my stories. From my hometown, the valley came here to take meetings with elected officials on both sides of the aisle. We came here to speak to them to speak with them and to urge them to speak with each other to remind and inspire them that the American people will continue to drive forward the mission of keeping our children safe, because it’s more than our right to do so. It’s our responsibility to do so. I’m here today in hopes of applying what energy reason and passion that I have into trying to turn this moment into a reality. Because as I said this moment is different.

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       We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before a window where it seems like real change. Real change can happen. You Vow the Texas is where I was born. Swear my mom taught kindergarten less than a mile from Rob Elementary. The valleys where I learned to master a daisy BB gun that took two years before I graduated to a 410 shotgun. You Valley is where I was taught to revere the power and the capability of a tool that we call a gun Valdez where I learned responsible gun ownership. You’ve already called me on May 24. When I learned the news of this devastating tragedy I had been out of cellular range working in the studio all day when I emerged and messages about a mass shooting in the town I was born in began flooding my inbox.

       In a bit of shock I drove home, hugged my children a bit tighter and longer than the night before. And then the reality of what had happened that day and the town I was born in set in so the next morning Camilla myself and kids we loaded up the truck and we drove the valley when we arrived a few hours later. I gotta tell you, even from the inside of our vehicle, you could feel the shock in the town. You could feel the pain. The denial and disillusion anger, blame sadness, loss of life, dreams halting. We saw ministries we saw first responders counselors cooks families trying to grieve without it being on the front page news we met with the local funeral director countless more tissue to who hadn’t slept since the mask of the day before because they’ve been working 24/7 trying to handle so many bodies at once. So many little innocent bodies, who had their entire lives to get to live. That is there that we met two of the grieving parents Ryan and Jessica Ramirez. Their 10 year old daughter Lithia. She was one of the 19 children that were killed the day before. Now Lydia, our dream was to go to art school in Paris and one day share her art with the world. Ryan and Jessica were eager to share Leith his art with us and said we can share it that somehow maybe that would make at least a smile and having those that showing someone else at least the art would in some way. keep her alive.

       This particular drawing is a it’s a self portrait. Alright, I believe that drawing with her friend in heaven looking down on her drawing the very same picture. Our mother said of this drawing, she said you know we’ve never really talked to her about heaven before but somehow she knew Lita was 10 years old. Her father Ryan, this man was steady. He was uncommonly together and calm. When a frazzled friend of yours came up said how are you so calm? I’d be going crazy. Ryan telling me said no you wouldn’t know you wouldn’t. You’d be strong for your wife and kids because if they see you go crazy that will not help. Just a week prior Ryan got a full time line job stringing power lines from pole to pole. And every day since landing that well paying full time job he reminded his daughter Leah he’s a girl and Daddy gonna spoil you now. Told her every single night. He said that he’s gonna take you to SeaWorld one day.

       He could say he didn’t get spot his daughter she did not get to go to SeaWorld. We also met Anna and another nila, the mom and the stepdad of nine year old might they? Rodriguez, Miami they wanted to be a marine biologist. She was already in contact with Corpus Christi University of a&m for future college enrollment. Nine years old, mighty day cared for the environment so strongly that when the city asked her mother if they could release some balloons into the sky in her memory, her mom said Oh no. Maybe they would want to litter. Maybe they were green high top converse with a heart she had hand drawn on the right toe because they represented her love of nature. Camilla Scott these shoes. Can you show these shoes please wear these every day. Green converse with a heart on the right toe. These are the same green Converse on her feet that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her after the shooting. have had that. Meet they wrote a letter her mom said if my birthday is letter could help someone accomplish your dream. But then her death would have an impact and it would mean her dying had a point and was it point less that it would make the loss of her life matter. The letter reads marine biologist I want to pass school to get to my dream college. My dream college is in Corpus Christi by the ocean. I need to live next to the ocean because I want to be a marine biologist, marine biologist study animals and the water most of the time I will be in a lab.

       Sometimes I will be on TV and there was Ellie Garcia, a 10 year old and her parents Steven and Jennifer Ellie loved to dance and she loved church. She even knew how to drive tractors and was already working with her dad and her uncle mowing yards. Ellie was always giving her gifts her time, even half eaten food on her plate. They said around the house. We called her the great re gifter. Finding through tears her family told us how Ellie love to embrace that she was the biggest hugger in the family. Ellie was born Catholic but had been going to Baptist church with her Uncle Phil a couple of years. Mom and Dad were proud of her because they said she was learning to love God no matter where. The week prior to her passing, she had been preparing to read a verse from the Bible for the next one is a nice church service. The verse was from Deuteronomy six, five. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and with all thy might Vasu Willie was becoming but she never got to read it in service on Wednesday night. And there was a fairy tale love story. teacher named Irma and her husband Joe got a great family. This was this was an amazing family, Camilla and I, we we we sat with that 20 of their family members in the living room. Kids, they were kids were 2390 and 15 and 13.

       They shared all these stories about Arman and Joe served the community and host all these parties and how herb and Joe were planning on getting a food truck together when they soon retired. There were humble, hard working people or was a teacher who were family said went above and beyond and just couldn’t say no to any kind of teaching. Joe had been commuting to and from work 70 miles away and Del Rio for years. Together they were the glue of the family. Both worked overtime to support their four kids. Irma even worked every summer when school was out. The money she had made two summers ago paid, paid to paint the front of the house. The money she made last summer paid to paint the sides of the house.

       This summer is where we’re going to pay to paint the back of the house because our mother was one of the teachers who was gunned down in the classroom. Joe her husband literally died of heartache. The very next day when he had a heart attack they never got to get back to their house. They never got to retire and they never got to get that food truck together.

       We also met a cosmetologist, she was well versed in mortuary makeup. That’s the task of making the victims appear as peaceful and natural as possible. For their open casket viewings. These bodies were very different. They needed much more than makeup to be presentable. They needed extensive restoration. Why? Due to the exceptionally large exit wounds, an AR 15 rifle most of the body so mutilated it only be in a test. Ring Converse. Good identify any children were left not only dead but hollow.

       So yes, counselors are going to be needed in the Valley for a long time counselors are needed. And all these places with these mass uses have been for a long time. I was told by many that it takes a good year before people even understand what to do next. And even then, when they become secure, secure enough to take the first step forward. A lifetime is not going to heal those wounds. Again you know what? Every one of these parents wanted what they asked for, but every parent separately expressed in their own way to Camilla and me that they want their children’s dreams to live on. That they want their children’s dream to continue to accomplish something after they are gone. They want to make their loss of life matter that we heard from we are from so many people right families of the deceased mothers fathers sisters brothers, Texas Rangers hunters, border patrol and responsible gun owners who won’t give up their Second Amendment right to bear arms. And you know, they all said we want secure and safe schools and we want gun laws that won’t make it so easy for the bad guys to get these damn guns. So we know what’s on the table. We need to invest in mental health care, safer schools.

       We need to restrain sensationalized media coverage we need to restore our family values need to restore American values and made responsible gun ownership responsible gun ownership we need background checks. We need to raise the minimum age 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. To our nation states community schools and homes. responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals. These regulations are not a step back. They’re step forward for civil society and and the Second Amendment is this cure all? Hell know that people are hurting families, our parents our look is divided is our country is this gun responsibility issue is one that we agree on more than we don’t. It really is. But this should be a nonpartisan issue. This should not be a partisan issue. There is not a Democratic or Republican value in one single act of the shooters. Not but people in power have failed to act. So we’re asking you I’m asking you will you please ask yourselves? Can both sides rise above? Can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand and admit that we have a life preservation problem on our hands.

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       We got a chance right now to reach for and to grasp. A higher ground above our political affiliations. A chance to make a choice that does more than protect your party. Choose to make a choice that protects our country now and for the next generation. We got to take a sober humble and honest look in the mirror, and rebrand. rebrand ourselves. Based on what we truly value, what we truly value. We got to get to real courage and honor our immortal obligations instead of our party affiliations. And that’s what the counterpunching not for the invalidation of the other side. Come to the common table that represents the American people find a middle middle ground, the place where most of us Americans live anyway, especially on this issue. Because I promise you, America you and me who we are not as divided as we were being told we are no get inspired.

       Give ourselves just cause to revere our future again. If you set an example for our children, give us reason to tell them hey, listen and watch these these men and women. These are great American leaders right here. Hope you grow to be like them. And let’s admit it we can’t truly be leaders. If we’re only live in for reelection. Let’s be knowledgeable and wise and act on what we truly believe. Again, we got to look in the mirror lead with humility and acknowledge the values that are inherent to but also above politics. We got to make choices make stand to embrace new ideas and preserve the traditions that can create true true progress for the next generation. Three leadership aren’t given us, all of us with real leadership. Let’s start giving all of us good reason to believe that the American dream is not an illusion. But where we start. Start making the right choices on the issue that is in front of us today. We start by making laws that save innocent lives and don’t infringe on our Second Amendment right. We start right now, by voting to pass policies that can keep us from having as many Columbine Sandy hooks parklands, Las Vegas is buffaloes and you Valdez from here on. We start by giving each year to be spoiled by our dad or by given my day choice to become a marine biologist. Start by giving Ellie chance to read her Bible verse at the Wednesday night service. Start by giving Irma and Joe chance to finish painting their house. Maybe retire or by giving McKenna Leila Miranda veya. Jose Javier tests ro Haley Oh, Eliana, Annabelle Jackie, Xia JC, Jayla, Eva, Amory and Lexi. Start by giving all of them harm from their dream can be forgotten. We start making loss of these lives matter.