SPRINGFIELD – As gun violence commands the political spotlight this year, Illinois gun rights supporters turned out in force at the state Capitol on Wednesday with a message emblazoned across yellow T-shirts: “Don’t Tread on My Right to Self-Defense.”

They squeezed into the rotunda for their annual lobbying day only moments after Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn delivered his budget speech, an event that drew a sizable crowd of its own. The gun rights backers let lawmakers know they oppose both a proposed ban on military-style assault weapons and heavy restrictions on legislation to allow carrying concealed weapons in public.

Quinn wants both, but the Legislature is divided along regional lines on the issues. Lawmakers from Chicago and nearby suburbs have fought for gun control, while downstate lawmakers and some suburbanites oppose legislation they feel might infringe on the rights of hunters.