WASHINGTON — Actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey is continuing his push for federal gun law changes, now hiring a team of D.C. lobbyists to represent him on Capitol Hill.
The award-winning actor has been a vocal figure both online and on the Hill for “responsible gun ownership” following the Uvalde school massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
McConaughey’s Texas company, Barefoot Money Inc., hired D.C. lobbying firm Avisa Partners US, Inc. to lobby for issues “related to responsible gun ownership,” according to the registration form filed Wednesday.
The registration form shows the contract began June 2, days before McConaughey made an appearances on Capitol Hill and at the White House. POLITICO was first to report on McConaughey’s contract with the firm.
McConaughey was assisted on the Hill by Noe Garcia, a Senior Policy Advisor to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, John Procter, former Pentagon press secretary and Michael Rubino, a former Trump administration adviser and senior adviser to the secretary of health and human services.
The actor’s political involvement comes as senators led by Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., attempt to craft a gun reform bill. Twenty senators announced a framework for bipartisan legislation on Sunday, including closing the “boyfriend loophole,” funding mental health resources and incentivizing state red flag laws.
However, Cornyn has since signaled delays in drafting the bill due to disagreements on certain language, particularly in closing the “boyfriend loophole.” He has returned home to Texas, where the state Republican Party is holding its state convention this weekend.
McConaughey, who considered but decided against running for governor in Texas this year, first spoke out after the shooting in an op-ed in the Austin American-Statesman on June 6, advocating for measures to increase “gun responsibility.” These included background checks, a minimum age of 21 to own assault rifles, red flag laws and a national waiting period for buying an assault rifle.
Many of these measures were listed as off the table in ongoing bipartisan gun talks.
Following the release of the op-ed, McConaughey was spotted Monday and Tuesday of last week in Washington. He met with Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip, and Rep. Henry Cuellar, who both posted about the meetings on social media. Cuellar was the only Texas Democrat to vote against a House proposal to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, but still voted for the overall passage of a House gun reform bill.
Most notably, McConaughey made an impassioned plea for gun legislation at a White House briefing June 7, where he spoke about the 19 children killed in the Uvalde school shooting.
“Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals,” McConaughey said. “We want secure and safe schools and we want gun laws that won’t make it so easy for the bad guys to get these damn guns.”
McConaughey, the best-selling author of 2020 memoir Greenlights, and his wife, Camila, who also appeared at the White House, have established a Uvalde relief fund through their foundation, Just Keep Livin’. The funds will address grief counseling, funeral services and other community needs.
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