Matthew McConaughey On Texas School Shooting: 'We Must Do Better'

UVALDE, TX — Actor and Texas native Matthew McConaughey called on every American to "take a longer and deeper look in the mirror" after a mass shooting at an elementary school in his hometown of Uvalde took the lives of 19 children and two teachers.

On Tuesday, an 18-year-old gunman barricaded himself in a classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and began shooting. Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN all the victims were in the same fourth-grade classroom.

The gunman was identified by Gov. Greg Abbott as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, whom police shot and killed in another exchange of gunfire.

RELATED: Texas School Shooting: Gunman Barricaded In Classroom, Police Say

In a statement posted to his Facebook page, McConaughey said, "Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us."

In the statement, McConaughey encouraged Americans to ask themselves, "What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem?"

"We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo," the statement continued.

McConaughey also urged Texans and Americans alike to "re-evaluate" and find common ground.

"This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better," McConaughey said. "We must do better."

Read McConaughey's full statement on Facebook.

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