Thousands rally across US against stricter gun limits

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas

Thousands of gun advocates gathered peacefully Saturday at state capitals around the U.S. to rally against stricter limits on firearms, with demonstrators carrying rifles and pistols in some places while those elsewhere settled for waving hand-scrawled signs or screaming themselves hoarse.

The size of crowds at each location varied — from dozens of people in South Dakota to 2,000 in New York. Large crowds also turned out in Connecticut, Tennessee and Texas. Some demonstrators in Phoenix and Salem, Ore., came with holstered handguns or rifles on their backs. At the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort, attendees gave a special round of applause for “the ladies that are packin’.”

In Columbus, several hundred people came out to support gun rights at the Ohio Statehouse.

Organizers estimated that the crowd in Columbus grew to between 700 and 900 people Saturday afternoon.

Many carried signs, waved flags and marched around the Statehouse.

Matt Smith of Cincinnati helped organize the rally in Ohio.

He told The Columbus Dispatch that he wants people to know that gun owners are like anyone else, and there’s no reason to fear them.

Activists promoted the “Guns Across America” rallies primarily through social media. They were taking place just after President Barack Obama unveiled a sweeping package of federal gun-control proposals.

The crowd swelled to more than 800 amid balmy temperatures on the steps of the pink-hued Capitol in Austin, where speakers took the microphone under a giant Texas flag with “Independent” stamped across it. Homemade placards read “An Armed Society is a Polite Society,” “The Second Amendment Comes from God” and “Hey King O., I’m keeping my guns and my religion.”

Rallies at statehouses nationwide were organized by Eric Reed, an airline captain from the Houston area who in November started a group called “More Gun Control = More Crime.” Its Facebook page has been “liked” by more than 17,000 people.

At the New York state Capitol in Albany, about 2,000 people turned out for a chilly rally, where they chanted “We the People,” “USA,” and “Freedom.” Many carried American flags and “Don’t Tread On Me” banners. The event took place four days after Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the nation’s toughest assault-weapon and magazine restrictions.