A pro-gun lobby group held a rally Saturday at a sugar shack near Quebec City, after facing backlash for their initial plan to hold it at a Montreal memorial commemorating the 14 women killed at École Polytechnique in 1989.

Organizers moved the rally to Neuville, Que., more than 230 kilometres northeast of Montreal, following public outrage from politicians and gun owners when they announced their intention to gather at the Place du 6-décembre-1989.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a "needless and cruel provocation." On Saturday, the organizers apologized for the controversy.

"We went too far," said Guy Morin, vice-president of Tous contre un registre québécois des armes à feu (All Against a Quebec Gun Registry).

"We knew it was going to be disruptive, but we underestimated the sheer magnitude of emotions related to all of this, related to the commemorative site and we apologize."

While the group said it expected hundreds of people to join the event, only a few dozen supporters attended on Saturday.

The rally, just four days before the 28th anniversary of the Dec. 6th shooting, aims to bring attention to what the lobby group calls "excessive firearm control" in Quebec.

The group is also against the province's plan to create a long-gun registry.