More than 600 Second Amendment supporters gathered on the steps of the Rhode Island State House on Saturday to protest the gun control package advancing in the House Judiciary Committee, in what organizers described as one of the largest pro-gun rights demonstrations in Rhode Island history.

The rally, organized by the Rhode Island 2A Coalition and the Rhode Island Firearms Owners League, drew participants from across the state, including hunters, sport shooters, competitive marksmen, and law-abiding gun owners who said they felt targeted by legislation that they argue will do nothing to reduce criminal violence while burdening responsible citizens.

"We are not the problem," said rally organizer Frank Saccoccio, director of the RI 2A Coalition. "The criminals who are shooting people in Providence are not buying their guns legally, they are not going through background checks, and they will not comply with any of these laws. The only people these bills affect are people like us — law-abiding citizens who follow every rule."

Speakers included several Republican state legislators, a retired Providence police detective, a competitive shooter who represented Rhode Island at the national level, and a domestic violence survivor who described how a legally owned firearm had protected her from an abusive former partner. "My gun saved my life," said the survivor, who asked that her name not be published. "If these bills had been law when I needed protection, I might not be standing here today."

The rally concluded with a march around the State House and a commitment to attend every committee hearing and floor debate on the gun control package. Organizers said they are planning a second, larger rally if the bills advance to the full House floor.

The demonstration drew counter-protesters from gun control advocacy groups, though they were significantly outnumbered by the pro-Second Amendment crowd.