Matthew McConaughey: America, the Land of And

For the first time in 28 years, a meaningful piece of legislation has passed that can usher in a new era of building an American Culture of Gun Responsibility. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Bill is a reasonable and holistic step towards addressing America’s gun violence epidemic. This bill invests in mental health and protects responsible, law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights, due process, and the rule of law. For responsible gun owners, this bill does not take your guns away or restrict access to firearms. This bill will save innocent lives by keeping guns out of the law-breaking and irresponsible hands that are trying to hijack the Second Amendment. This bill is a responsible investment in the future of our country and in America’s greatest asset, our children. This bill makes those whose lives have been needlessly cut short by gun violence matter.

This bill is about more responsible gun ownership in America. The Uvalde tragedy ignited bipartisan conversations that created responsible actions by members from both parties. Members made the right and difficult choice — action — over the easy choice — inaction. By coming together and finding a sensible balance, a bipartisan group of lawmakers passed a bill that will help solve a problem we all agree is unbearable. While this bill isn’t perfect, it is a shining example of a great American potential and political virtue: the act of compromise and validating an opposing viewpoint. This is a quintessential virtue of America, where two seemingly contradictory approaches to the same problem can be true at the same time, AND, when combined, actually reveal a more useful and powerful solution than either on its own. Where we have Freedom AND Responsibility, Rights AND Duties, Opportunity, AND Obligations. Yes, we have a mental health issue in our country that we need to address, AND we need to create guardrails to keep guns out of irresponsible hands. Both are true. Neither are mutually exclusive. The success of one even relies on our responsibility to the other. This bill is an example of the bipartisan meeting of the minds and hearts that can lead us to reclaim true Democracy in America. This bill is a representation and reminder that no single party is Democracy itself. No single party is America itself, AND no single party in American politics has the claim to independently own the values by which they define themselves.