SPRINGFIELD – In a state where the gun rights debate was already accelerating, top Illinois Democrats responded Monday to the nation’s latest mass shooting with demands for a ban on assault weapons, but other lawmakers cautioned against letting passions and a mixing of issues cloud negotiations over concealed carry and other gun matters.

The elementary school shooting Friday in Newtown, Conn., which left 28 people dead, came just days after gun advocates celebrated a federal appeals court ruling that Illinois’ concealed-carry ban is unconstitutional.

Neither event dislodged deep-rooted beliefs on either side of the issue, but gun control advocates cited the shooting to push urgently for restrictions.