Thousands of gun owners showed up in Springfield on Wednesday to oppose a growing list of bills that they worry will infringe on their constitutional rights.

The annual Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day brought crowds to the capitol.

Rhonda Ezell, president and co-founder of Chicago Guns Matter, sued the city of Chicago over a ban on gun ranges and won. She said it’s not about guns. It’s about the rights of people to protect themselves from tyranny.

“Gun control is not about safety,” Ezell said. “Gun control is about controlling the people and once they commit tyranny on the citizens, they will then, in turn, take our lives because we won’t be able to protect ourselves.”

As a black woman, she said there’s no doubt gun control laws have a racist history.

“But that’s here nor there. These are all our fundamental constitutional rights,” Ezell said. “The constitution wasn’t built on color.”

Last week, several dozen people rallied with Moms Demand Action at the capitol, supporting lawmakers who passed the Gun Dealer Licensing Act and other measures.

Volunteer coordinator Ellie Hanauer from Champaign said she felt she could find common ground with gun rights groups.

“We really just want to make sure that we’re living in a safe community, in a safe society,” Hanauer said.

This week, Danny Gerger from the Chicago suburb of Forest Park joined gun owners lobbying effort. He said gun owners like himself shouldn’t be punished for the violent crimes of others.

“Why should I be punished for what the killer in Aurora did, or anybody else throughout history, those few thousands versus a hundred million gun owners like me that didn’t do anything wrong,” Gerger said. “How is that right?”

A 45-year-old man killed five people and injured six others when he opened fire at a manufacturing facility in Aurora on Feb. 15.

Lawmakers continue to discuss several measures introduced after the Aurora shooting.

One organizer estimated the crowds Wednesday were around 7,000 people.