HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Thousands of people, including some first-time activists moved by the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, rallied at Connecticut's state Capitol on Thursday demanding lawmakers toughen gun laws.

Holding signs that read: "We are Sandy Hook. We deserve change" and "Let's get this done," many in crowd — estimated by the state Capitol Police at 5,500 — said they wanted to make sure their opinions were heard. They said they did not want them overshadowed by vocal gun rights advocates who've successfully defeated gun control measures in Connecticut in the past, such as limits on the size of ammunition magazines.

"We have reached a tipping point Connecticut. Our hearts are broken," said Nancy Lefkowitz, one of two mothers who formed the grassroots organization March for Change and helped organize the Valentine's Day rally.

The rally came exactly two months after a man went on a shooting rampage at the elementary school in Newtown before taking his own life.

Twenty-four-year-old Jillian Soto pleaded with policymakers to not forget the six educators and 20 first-graders who were killed and immediately pass gun reform legislation. Her sister, Victoria Soto, was one of the teachers killed. She said no one else needs to lose a family member.

"It's not about political party or hidden agendas. It's about life," she said. "And my life and the lives of so many are now changed forever because of what guns can do in the wrong hands."

In an interview before the rally, Soto said she felt the need to publicly come forward on her sister's behalf, keeping her memory alive and demanding a change in gun laws.

"She fought to save her children in her classroom," Soto said. "And I'm here fighting for the same thing, to save everybody's lives here, because we need to do something to change."

Thursday's event, one of the larger state Capitol rallies in recent years, comes as a special bipartisan task force created by the General Assembly attempts to reach consensus on possible law and policy changes affecting guns, mental health and school security. Legislators hope to vote on a package of recommendations later this month or early March.

While both Democratic and Republican state politicians appeared at the rally, including Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, it's not a given there will be bipartisan support for many of the proposals pushed by rally attendees. They include a ban on high-capacity magazines and all military-style assault weapons, annual registration renewals for handguns, universal background checks and mandatory safe storage of weapons.

One key GOP leader, House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., a member of the bipartisan task force, declined to attend, saying he felt it was inappropriate to appear at any rally touting a specific legislative agenda as the task force is still deliberating. Republican Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, whose district includes Newtown, has not committed his support to the March for Change group's agenda. He was interrupted by shouts of "pass the law" when he spoke generally about the importance of choosing love instead of a culture of violence in society. Continued...