Actor Matthew McConaughey, a native of Uvalde, Texas as well as a father and a gun owner, speaks to reporters about mass shootings in the United States during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 7, 2022.
Actor Matthew McConaughey, a native of Uvalde, Texas as well as a father and a gun owner, speaks to reporters about mass shootings in the United States during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 7, 2022. Reuters / KEVIN LAMARQUE

U.S. President Joe Biden met briefly with Oscar-winning actor and Uvalde, Texas, native Matthew McConaughey on Tuesday and discussed gun responsibility measures, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Nineteen children and two teachers were shot to death at an elementary school in McConaughey's hometown on May 24 by an 18-year-old gunman wielding a semi-automatic rifle.

"He is here today to use his platform to call on (congressional) leaders to take bipartisan action to end the senseless killing and pass reasonable gun responsibility measures that we know will save lives," Jean-Pierre said of McConaughey's visit.

McConaughey, 52, also appeared at a news briefing at the White House, appearing to choke up several times. He held up photos of some of the child victims and talked about their families, what they were wearing on the day they were shot, and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

The actor also went through a brief biography of each victim, slamming his fist in the lectern at one point to describe one of them.

"While we honor and acknowledge the victims we need to recognize that this time seems that something is different," he said. "There is a sense that perhaps there's a viable path forward."