Matthew McConaughey calls for responsible gun ownership, red flag laws at White House press briefing

The tragic school shooting by a lone gunman resulted in a death toll of 21, with 19 children and two teachers massacred.

McConaughey called for more gun control as he stood behind the lectern and argued that "people in power have failed to act."

"We need background checks," McConaughey said. "We need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle to 21. We need a waiting period for those rifles. We need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them."

"How can the loss of these lives matter?" he asked. "We need to recognize that this time it seems something is different."

McConaughey encouraged elected leaders on "both sides of the aisle" to come together and work to change the laws.

"We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before. A window where it seems like real change, real change can happen," the actor said.

The massacre hit home for McConaughey as he grew up in the small town in south Texas that sits 80 miles outside of Austin, Texas.

Upon learning of the horrifying attack, McConaghey said he drove home "and hugged my children a bit longer and tighter than the night before."

McConaughey said that he and his wife Camila Alves, along with their three children, drove to Uvalde the following morning.

"Even from the inside of our vehicle, you could feel the shock in the town," McConaughey said.

McConaughey argued that "responsible gun owners are fed up by the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals" and encouraged "both sides see above the political problem at hand."

"Let's come to the common table that represents the American people," the actor said. "America — you and me — we are not as divided as we are being told we are. No."

"We gotta make choices and preserve the traditions that can make true progress for the next generation. Let's start giving all of us good reason to believe that the American dream is not an illusion," he added. "We start by making the right choices on the issue that's in front of us today. We start by making laws."