DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- A caravan of people supporting expanded federal background checks for gun purchases stopped in Dallas Tuesday, urging people to sign a petition. The group, Moms Demand Action, had previously made stops in Austin, El Paso and Houston.
"Nobody wants crazy people to have guns. To me, it's a health crisis. It's not a Republican or Democrat issue. It's about making our society safe," says volunteer Patti Kysiak-Brockton.
Moms Demand Action says 89% of Republicans and 89% of gun owners support expanded background checks.
"We need responsible gun ownership. We support responsible gun ownership, and that includes basic training," says the group's Donna Schmidt. "Certainly, background checks are the absolute baseline foundation of policy."
"I'm from Texas. We're about guns, but I'm for the responsible care of guns," says Dallas resident Shirley Carter.
Carter says her son and son-in-law were killed in a robbery attempt in 2016.
"That's because the guns are so plentiful where I'm from," she says. "I support background checks, and I support red flag laws."
Moms Demand Action says groups have set up petitions in 60 cities in 22 states. They will deliver those petitions to Washington after a ten day event called, "Road Trip for Background Checks."
Opponents of expanded background checks say most mass shooters pass background checks to acquire guns. The NRA Institute for Legislative Action says, "federal studies have repeatedly found that persons imprisoned for firearm crimes get their firearms mostly through theft, the black market, or family members or friends. Less than one percent get guns at gun shows."
"NRA opposes expanding firearm background check systems, because background checks don’t stop criminals from getting firearms, because some proposals to do so would deprive individuals of due process of law, and because NRA opposes firearm registration," the group says.