Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro urged lawmakers to pass gun legislation he said even most gun owners support.
"Often times it's actually hunters and folks that shoot on a range that understand that you don't need these weapons of war, the AR-15 and other similar weapons. I think more and more, many of them get it," the Texas Democrat said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
His remarks followed a Saturday shooting in his home state that killed at least 7 people.
Castro said if he were president now, he would push for common sense gun legislation reform.
He said while it's a politically divisive issue, he suggested many gun owners would be on board with gun reform measures.
"Sure, I agree a certain percentage of people somehow fear the government is going to try and take over the entire country somehow and they're going to need their weapons. But that's actually a minority of people," Castro said.
Castro also said that as president he would push legislation in congress and place pressure on "swing state Republicans" up for reelection in 2020.
WATCH: Julián Castro says people want a "new generation of leadership", but calls Bernie, Biden and Warren "very talented individuals" #MTP #IfItsSunday@juliancastro: "When Democrats have won, it's because they've taken a bit of a risk" pic.twitter.com/D79baXlrzQ
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 1, 2019
"To get them to go with something that we can compromise on, at least universal background checks, I think we can do more than that in the future," Castro said.
The Democratic-controlled House passed a universal background check bill in February, but it has not been brought up for a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.
