Lobbying

McConaughey hires DC lobbyists in gun control push

by Karl Evers-Hillstrom - 06/16/22 9:30 AM ET

Actor Matthew McConaughey holds a picture or Alithia Ramirez, who was killed in an elementary school shooting — Associated Press/Evan Vucci
Actor Matthew McConaughey holds a picture or Alithia Ramirez, 10, who was killed in the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, as he speaks during a press briefing at the White House on June 7, 2022, in Washington.

Matthew McConaughey hired K Street lobbyists to assist his push for stricter gun laws following the horrific mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers.

The Uvalde-born actor retained a team of Washington, D.C., lobbyists from Avisa Partners to lobby on “responsible gun ownership” issues earlier this month, according to a document filed with Congress Wednesday afternoon.

Those hirings came after McConaughey gave an impassioned plea to lawmakers to expand background checks, raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15-style rifle and implement red flag laws that allow authorities to take guns away from individuals who pose a threat.

“These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations to our nation, states, communities, schools, and homes. Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals,” McConaughey said during a recent speech at the White House.

“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,” he added.

McConaughey’s lobbying team includes Noe Garcia, who served as a policy adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), former Trump administration Department of Health and Human Services aide Mike Rubino and former Pentagon press secretary John Procter.

The award-winning actor made those hires shortly before holding meetings with senators to push for stronger gun laws.

Over the weekend, a bipartisan group of senators struck a modest gun deal framework that would incentivize states to implement red flag laws, impose tougher background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21, prevent gun sales to domestic abusers and require more gun sellers to register as firearm dealers and run background checks, among other measures.

McConaughey said on Instagram that he is happy “something” is being done to address the nation’s flurry of mass shootings and said that the framework could save lives, but added that it is not a solution.

Still, some parts of the bipartisan framework might be axed before a bill gets to the floor as GOP senators express concerns about the measures to help implement red flag laws and block gun sales to domestic abusers, Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) said Wednesday.

Politico first reported the news of McConaughey’s lobbying registration, which was made under his California-based holding company, Barefoot Money Inc.