Rampaging gunman gave moms reason to march

From left, Gail Powers, Donna Finkelstein, and Loren Lieb advance their personal experience as an argument for gun control

May 12, 2000
Web posted at: 11:17 p.m. EDT (0317 GMT)

In this story: 'If I had done something after Columbine' Mommy power vs. firepower RELATED STORIES, SITES

From correspondent Jim Moret

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Among the mothers participating in Sunday's "Million Mom March" to demand greater gun control are three whose children survived a gunman's rampage.

"I have found my life purpose," said Gail Powers. "In a very tragic situation, I have found my life purpose."

Powers, Donna Finkelstein and Loren Lieb all had children at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in the Los Angeles area August 10, 1999 when a gunman walked in and began shooting

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"How horrific it is to stand somewhere, anywhere, on a lawn ... not knowing if your child is dead or alive," Powers recalls how she felt that day.

Her 5-year-old son Nathan was alive and physically unharmed.

Finkelstein's daughter Mindy, 17, was not so lucky. She had just sat down with a group of children to celebrate a birthday when the gunman shot her twice in the leg.

"I'm laying on the ground in blood and all I see is helicopters and ambulances and police officers everywhere. And just hearing screams and not knowing if I was going to survive," Mindy said.

She has not returned to her job as a counselor at the center.

Loren Leib had two children at camp that day. Nine-year-old Seth was safely on a field trip. But Joshua, 7, was in the line of fire and was shot once in his lower leg and once in his hip.

"Phyically he's doing really well. There's things that make him nervous. Sirens, he just can't deal with the sound of a siren," Lieb reports.

'If I had done something after Columbine'

Police lead children to safety after the shootings at the North Valley Jewish Community Center

That August day transformed the three women from acquaintances into close friends. The attack also helped unite them and the thousands of other mothers across the country taking part in the Million Mom March.

"When the shooting at the JCC happened I thought, 'If I had done something after Columbine, maybe this wouldn't have happened.' And I kicked myself in the behind for not doing anything," said Powers.

"Our goal is to keep children safe," Finkelstein said. "And they're not safe, they're not safe today. And we need to do something. It's just us, and this is our voice, and they're going to hear us on May 14th."

On Sunday mothers advocating greater gun control will march in cities across the country.

Laura Kelly will be at the biggest gathering, which is set for the nation's capital. Her 4-year-old son, Hunter, was the first child in a line of youngsters that police led to safety after the JCC shooting.

"I kept asking, 'Where's Hunter, where's Hunter?' And I looked and that's when they were coming down the hill and he was holding the officer's hand. The relief was just absolutely overwhelming, to see him -- to see that he was OK," Kelly recalled emotionally.

Mommy power vs. firepower

At the heart of the mother's movement are demands for mandatory trigger locks, a national system of firearm registration and a renewed emphasis on safety. The moms also vow to be in it for the long haul.

Lieb's entire family is going to Washington. So are Finkelstein and her daughter. While Mindy would rather put the shooting behind her, she decided to speak at the rally because of the anguish she watched her mother go through.

"I don't want to see a mother go through that again. And when I become a mother, I don't want that to happen to my child," Mindy said.

Despite the firepower of pro-gun groups like the National Rifle Association, these moms believe their group has an advantage.

"Mom's are passionate about their children. And it's in their heart and it's in their soul that their kids need to be safe," said Finkelstein.

Motherly love and hard-nosed determination, they said, will rule this Mother's Day and beyond.

"We are moms full of intention. There is nothing more powerful on this planet than a mother full of intention," Powers promised.

Lieb seconded the power of motherhood.

"Moms are very passionate about their children," Lieb said. "Everybody knows not to get between a bear and it's cub."

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Million Mom March

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