Thousands of gun advocates gathered peacefully over the weekend at state capitals around the United States 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 “Guns Across America’’ rallies on Saturday were promoted primarily through social media. 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 Massachusetts, Connecticut, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington state.