Pro-gun activists rallied Saturday in 49 states Saturday to support the right to own firearms they say is under attack from President Obama's proposals to reduce gun violence, Reuters reports. The rallies held mostly at state capitals, were being organized by a group called Guns Across America that was launched by Texas airline pilot Eric Reed.

Reed, 38, said after he heard Obama talk about gun control on the day of the Sandy Hook school massacre in Newtown, Ct., last month, that he thought gun owners should send a strong message to lawmakers in Washington. As of Friday,  the Facebook page for Guns Across America listed more than 18,000 people who planned to attend events, and Reed said Alaska was the only state with no organizer for a rally.