Pro-gun rallies held in US state capitals

Hundreds of people have gathered in state capitals across the US days after President Barack Obama unveiled a sweeping package of federal gun-control proposals.

About 2,000 people, many carrying American flags and "Don't Tread On Me" banners, turned out for the chilly outdoor rally at the New York state capitol in Albany on Saturday, while an estimated 600 people turned out for speeches in Austin, Texas.

Police in Connecticut said about 1,000 people showed up on the capitol grounds in Hartford, about 80km from the site of last month's mass shooting at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports from Washington D.C.