Parkland Father Fred Guttenberg Praises McConaughey Gun Speech: ‘If I Could Give Him a Bear Hug Right Now, I Would’
Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jaimie in the 2018 Parkland shooting, praised Matthew McConaughey’s Tuesday speech at the White House in which the actor called for new gun measures in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas shooting.
McConaughey, who was born in Uvalde, gave an emotional address at the press briefing, speaking about victims and calling for measures like raising the minimum wage to purchase rifles like the AR-15 from 18 to 21. The actor, who said he grew up shooting and respecting all sorts of guns in Texas, said “responsible gun owners are fed up.”
“Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by deranged individuals,” the actor said.
Guttenberg offered nothing but praise for the actor and said if he could see him, he would offer him a “bear hug” for the emotional address.
“Listen, Matthew McConaughey, if I could give him a bear hug right now, I would,” he said on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House to host Nicolle Wallace. Guttenberg has been front and center on the issue of gun control since losing his daughter and has been calling for new measures once again after Uvalde, a shooting that claimed more than 20 lives.
Guttenberg gave special praise for McConaughey saying gun owners themselves want to keep certain weapons out of the hands of “bad guys.” While the actor said the gun measures he proposed would not be a “cure-all” for the problems of mass shootings, they are part of the progress needed, along with making schools more secure and investing further into mental health resources.
“Thank you for being a responsible gun owner and saying that as loudly as you did. This has never been about the Second Amendment,” Guttenberg said. “Saving lives never has been. This has never been about taking something away from responsible people.”
Guttenberg called people to do something “consequential” with the momentum that has currently been built around the gun issue.
“Don’t settle,” he said. “Let’s do something consequential that will save lives.”
