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Matthew McConaughey -

In the wake of the tragic school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas in May 2022, where an armed 18-year-old killed 19 children and two adults, Matthew McConaughey delivered an impassioned speech at the White House press briefing on June 7 about the victims in his hometown of Uvalde. In his emotional 21-minute speech, he called on Congress as both a father and a gun owner himself to act on this moment with change. "This should not be a partisan issue," McConaughey said. "There is not a democratic or republican value in one single act of these shooters, but people in power have failed to act."

McConaughey and his wife Camila visited with victims' families and heard numerous stories about the lives lost, and they realized all the families had a similar goal: "How can the loss of these lives matter?" McConaughey added, "While we honor and acknowledge the victims, we need to recognize that this time, it seems that something is different. There is the sense that perhaps there is a viable path forward [for enacting gun safety legislation]."

The actor urged Congress to take "reasonable" and "practical" steps toward protecting Americans through measures like mandating background checks for gun ownership, strengthening "red flag" laws, raising the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle to 21, requiring a waiting period for those rifles, and investing in mental health care. "Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals," he said. "These regulations are not a step back, they're a step forward for a civil society and for the Second Amendment."

"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?" McConaughey concluded, "We can't truly be leaders if we're only living for re-election."

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Matthew McConaughey -

Matthew McConaughey had also previously taken to Twitter to call the American people into action. Speaking of the massacre that occurred in his hometown of Uvalde, the actor began his lengthy message: "Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us."

“The true call to action is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state and neighborhood tomorrow?'" he continued. "We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.”

Though he didn't reference guns specifically, he said Americans must "renegotiate our wants from our needs." Later in the message he wrote, “This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.”

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Madonna -

Following the police shootings of Daunte Wright, 20, and Adam Toledo, 13, Madonna took to social media with an impassioned call for stricter gun control, claiming it should be treated as "the new vaccination." On April 17, 2021, she shared a video of herself putting up posters with the hashtags “#GunControlNow” and “#WakeUpAmerica," and she wrote, “There’s a new Vaccination!! Its called GUN CONTROL! Should be mandatory. It will SAVE LIVES!” In a second Instagram post, she wrote further about Toledo and Wright's deaths: “The Officers who killed them are only being charged with manslaughter. This is insanity. Horrific. And yet it has become normalised in our society.” She explained that if guns "were outlawed then no one would feel the need to own a gun to protect themselves from those who have guns," and added that police "Shooting and suffocating and brutalising innocent people ... should go immediately to jail for the rest of there [sic] lives. No trial, no corrupt justice system.”

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Cardi B - The rapper posted on her social media emphasizing the severity of domestic terrorism, and she clapped back at those who said gun control is out of her scope. "This is my country and I’m tired," she tweeted.

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Kristen Bell - The actress posted a photo on Instagram that reads, "For those taken today. For those yesterday. For those tomorrow. We will not give up the fight to end gun violence."

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Mandy Moore - "Any member of congress who is not actively in the fight for gun safety reform, is not fit to represent us. Period. The inaction is reprehensible," Moore wrote on Instagram. "[Two] mass shootings in 24 hours? We simply can’t stand by and let this continue to happen."

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Padma Lakshmi - Lakshmi criticized the focus on immigration in the US when "we all know the real crisis is radicalized young white men's unchecked access to weapons that shoot 600 rounds per minute."

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Lizzo - The singer tweeted about her devastation involving the attacks in the US, and added a call to action for her fans: "Make noise & bring awareness.. vote.. don’t normalize this."

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Kacey Musgraves - After the back-to-back shootings in the US, on March 5, 2019, the country singer offered an impassioned plea for change during her set at Lollapalooza, and got the crowd to chant "Somebody f****ing do something."

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John Oliver - "When it comes to gun control, I know it can feel like everything’s been said before," Oliver said on his show, adding, "Unless something hurts as much as it’s supposed to, nothing gets done about it—and something has got to be done here."

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Lili Reinhart - In the wake of the 255th mass shooting in the US, the 'Riverdale' actress tweeted, "I can’t believe this is happening in my country and no one is doing anything about it. Who has to die for laws to change?"

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Madonna -

Madonna has made her opinion clear on gun control. In the video for 'God Control,' a shooting at a nightclub is shown, and a call for gun control closes out the visual.

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Rihanna -

The influential singer posted a photo of Trump’s tweet following the back-to-back mass shootings on August 5, 2019. “A terrorist was able to LEGALLY purchase an assault rifle (AK-47) in Vegas," she wrote. "Imagine a world where it’s easier to get an AK-47 than a VISA!"

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Reese Witherspoon - The actress spoke up in the aftermath of the Dayton and El Paso shootings, tweeting, "This senseless loss of life is unbearable. When will our US representatives give the people of this country the common sense gun laws we are all demanding? I’m calling my congressman. Again."

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Gal Gadot - She fights bad guys as Wonder Woman, and Gadot has also fought for gun control. "Protect kids not guns," was a message she shared across social media.

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Lena Headey - The actress posted a photo on Instagram in 2018 supporting the student walkout to pressure Congress to pass gun laws. "Not one more student should die from gun violence," it read.

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Cara Delevingne - Cara Delevingne supported a Coachella boycott, partly based on the pro-gun politics of Philip Anchutz, who owns the parent company of Coachella. She has also supported gun control advocate Emma Gonzalez.

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Jessica Alba - Alba has spoken out against gun violence on several occasions. At the Teen Choice Awards, she invited the families of gun violence victims onstage, and gave a speech advocating against gun violence.

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Justin Bieber - JB has said that he would "fix some of the gun laws" if he was US President. He added that "they think it's for protection and stuff but it always ends up in some bozos hand."

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Zendaya - Zendaya has been open about her anti-gun opinions on social media. She has shared speeches from family members of the Florida shooting in February 2018.

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Harry Styles - Harry Styles has decorated his guitar with stickers that read "End gun violence," spreading the message onstage. He has also supported the March for Our Lives.

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Anne Hathaway - Hathaway has supported gun control laws. "More children have been killed by guns since Sandy Hook than U.S. soldiers in combat since 9/11," she has said.

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Ellen DeGeneres - DeGeneres has supported gun control. "No words, no actions, no laws are enough until we end this epidemic of school shootings in our country," she tweeted.

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Kim Kardashian - Kim has used her platform to discuss gun control. "We owe it to our children and our teachers to keep them safe while at school," she has written on social media. "Congress, please do your job and protect Americans from senseless gun violence."

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Hailey Bieber - Hailey Bieber has been clear about her stance on gun control. She has supported March for Our Lives, as well as their fashion partner, Krost.

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Lady Gaga - Lady Gaga has frequently talked about gun control. "Prayers are important but [Paul Ryan and Donald Trump] blood is on the hands of those who have power to legislate," she once tweeted.

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Julianne Moore - The Oscar-winner spoke with Porter magazine, saying it's her responsibility as a mother to speak up. "If I don't try to keep her safe by trying to change things in this country … then I'm being irresponsible."

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Gigi Hadid - Gigi Hadid has criticized lax gun control laws. "It sickens me the ease in which a TERRORIST can be sold a GUN. Is the ease really worth all these lives ?! This needs to stop," she has tweeted.

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Amy Schumer - In 2015, two women were shot at a screening of her movie, 'Trainwreck.' Schumer's been speaking about gun control ever since.

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Katy Perry - Katy Perry has publicly spoke up about gun control. "Do we all personally have to lose someone from a gun to have a real opinion on gun control or can we just literally start taking this seriously?"

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Chris Evans - He's wielded weapons as Captain America, but Chris Evans backs tighter gun control. "Are u listening GOP? Time for gun laws to change," he has tweeted.

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Selena Gomez - Selena Gomez is one of the most influential people on social media. "Protect kids, not guns," she posted on social media, sharing a flyer for the March for Our Lives.

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Jamie Foxx - The multi-talented entertainer has spoken out on gun control, saying "No more lists! ... We can do better than this! It's time for our leaders to act."

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Beyoncé - Queen Bey took part in the 'Demand a Plan' video, supporting criminal background checks for gun purchasers.

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John Legend - John Legend has described the National Rifle Association as "a danger to this nation and to the police." He has also supported Australia's tight gun control laws.

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George Clooney - George and Amal Clooney, offered US$500,000 to organizers of March for Our Lives. "Our children's lives depend on it," they said in a statement.

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Mark Ruffalo - Another Avenger who supports gun control is Mark Ruffalo. "Less guns = less mass murder. It's simple. Putting more guns in schools will = more shootings," he wrote on social media.

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Jim Carrey - The comic actor has been very open about his political views in recent years. He has described anti-gun control activists as "heartless motherf******."

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John Mayer - "If you're not doing everything in your power to at least *reassess* the threat of mass murder, why can't you come out and tell us that this is the life we're going to have to accept?", Mayer has written.

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Billy Eichner - The comedian is unabashed about gun legislation. "GUN CONTROL NOW. ENOUGH ALREADY. GROW THE F*** UP. THE AVERAGE PERSON DOESN'T NEED A F***** MACHINE GUN," he tweeted.

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Michael Ian Black - Michael Ian Black has labelled the NRA a terrorist organization, presumably for opposing stricter gun laws. "There's no other way to say it," he tweeted.

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Gabrielle Union - The American actress donated US$200,000 to the March for Our Lives cause. She has spoken about feeling "despair, horror, and anger" when sending her boys to school.

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Ben Stiller -

After the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Ben Stiller said "No one should have to go through airport security to go to pray in a synagogue or church or a mosque. This is not the fault of the synagogue..."

See some of the celebrities on the other side of the issue here.

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