Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey gave a fiery and moving speech on gun control at the White House press conference on Tuesday, sharing stories of children who died in a mass shooting last month. last in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.

Mr McConaughey began the briefing by giving remarks for 20 minutes, talking about the lives of those killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School, where 19 students and two teachers died. He concluded with an impassioned plea for gun law reform.

“I am here today hoping to apply the energy, reason and passion that I have to try to turn this moment into reality. Because as I said, this moment is different” , did he declare.

McConaughey is in Washington this week to meet with lawmakers about gun legislation. Last year Mr McConaughey publicly flirted with a bid for Texas governor but ultimately decided not to throw his hat in the ring.

On Tuesday, at times overcome with emotion, Mr McConaughey spoke of his visit to Uvalde after the shooting.

“You can feel the shock in the city. You could feel the pain, the denial, the disillusionment, the blame, the sadness, the death, the stopped dreams,” he said.

PHOTOS: McConaughey calls for gun control action at the White House

Earlier Tuesday, President Biden met with Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, who is overseeing bipartisan negotiations on gun reform.

Mr Murphy remained optimistic that a deal could be reached, but other lawmakers expressed skepticism that a deal could be struck by the end of the week.