HARRISBURG — A couple hundred gun rights enthusiasts attended an annual pro-gun rally on the Pennsylvania Capitol steps Monday, with many pushing for a proposal to let anyone who can legally possess firearms to conceal them without a license or permit when carrying them in public.

The organizer of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, said the attendance may have been the lowest in the 16 years for the event. Dozens of Republican representatives and senators, however, were there ahead of what was a legislative business day.

Mick McGuire, an Army veteran who manages a mechanic’s shop for a vehicle fleet and lives near New Castle, posed for photos at the rally while holding a rifle, with a handgun strapped to his side.

Chris Dorr with the Pennsylvania Firearms Association, said he wanted to see movement on gun rights legislation.

“I’m really hoping to see some leadership out of these Republicans,” said Dorr, who is married and has seven children. Dorr, who lives in Mount Joy, said his family is why he carries a gun.

“I need to make sure I make it home to them every day,” Dorr said.

In the past, the annual rally organized by Metcalfe, R-Butler, has drawn far more people, sometimes packing the Capitol’s cavernous Rotunda.

Metcalfe said the rally was to press for legislative priorities such as the “constitutional carry” bill and a proposal to limit local gun ordinances that are more restrictive than state or federal law.