A popular Dallas restaurant received threats of shootings after the National Rifle Association tweeted for its supporters to "steer clear" of the eatery because it put a message advocating gun regulation on its receipts during an NRA convention.

"We’ve had people calling and say they’re going to shoot the place up, one that implied he would be burning us down today. Ridiculous people," Joe Groves, owner of Ellen's restaurant, told BuzzFeed News.

The NRA convention is currently being held in Dallas, bringing thousands of its members to town.

In light of the Parkland school shooting and the 2016 Dallas police shootings, which happened just a few blocks away, Groves said he wanted to use the opportunity of the nearby NRA convention to encourage a conversation about sensible gun regulation. So, he placed a message on the bottom of his restaurant receipts on Friday that read:



A portion of this week’s proceeds will be donated to organizations dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulations.

"'Reasonable and effective' in my naive world is a fairly benign and centrist view," said Groves.

A few hours later, a customer mentioned to Groves that the words might be misconstrued, so Groves said he adjusted it by adding, "That protect citizen’s 2nd Amendment rights and also help reduce needless gun violence."

