Mary Leigh Blek's interest in responsible gun legislation dates back to June 29, 1994, when a police officer calling from New York City offered a few sentences that forever changed her life.
"Your son has been the victim of a robbery," the officer told Blek. The young man hadn't offered resistance, the officer continued, but her son had been shot. "He is deceased."
Blek is a lifelong Republican. She lives in a guarded, gated community in an upscale Orange County, Calif., neighborhood. "And I wasn't immune from gun violence," she told the Deseret News Friday during a visit to Salt Lake City.
Six years later, Blek is now president of the grass-roots Million Mom March foundation group that promotes gun safety legislation and resources for victims of gun trauma and violence. And she is in Utah this weekend to give a kick-start to the local Million Mom March chapter and its "Million Mom March to the Polls" campaign.
"On May 14, Mother's Day, we called on Congress and our legislatures to enact sensible gun laws for the sake of our children, and in this election season we will renew that call," Blek said in an announcement of her visit to Salt Lake City. "If the lawmakers don't listen, we will elect new lawmakers."
Blek will headline a press conference and rally to take place Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the Utah State Capitol Rotunda.
She came to Utah because of what event organizers have called Utah's "abysmal" efforts at responsible gun legislation.
The Republican-led Utah State Legislature killed several gun bills that House Minority Leader Dave Jones, D-Salt Lake City, said offered "reasonable and rational" gun control. Then Senate President Lane Beattie, R-West Bountiful, eventually pulled a compromise gun bill because of contention and a lack of support.
Advocates for stricter gun control measures wanted a special session on guns and school safety and had the support of GOP Gov. Mike Leavitt, but House Republicans opposed a special session after gun-rights groups objected to it.
Volunteers failed to gather enough signatures for the "Utah Safe to Learn — Safe to Worship Act," which would have prohibited people, even those with concealed-weapon permits, from carrying firearms into primary and secondary schools, institutions of higher education and places of worship.
"Utah does not have a very good record," Blek said Friday. "I thought this was a good place to come and spend some time."
The gun issue may or may not be an emerging campaign issue.
Marty Stephens, speaker of the Utah House of Representatives, has been in close touch with candidates in 75 House races but hasn't heard much about gun control as fodder for the campaign fire.
"To be honest, I thought this was going to be a big issue this fall, but I haven't heard a lot about it," said Stephens, R-Farr West. Education-related concerns have generated the greatest statewide interest this election season, he said. As for gun-related issues, "It will be different in different districts. In the rural areas, it's not going to be an issue at all."
The Utah Democratic Party has prepared postcards that candidates can mail out on the gun issue, but executive director Todd Taylor doesn't know if candidates will. "I haven't heard of anyone banking on that as a campaign issue. The question is whether candidates make it an issue or not."
Jim Gonzales, spokesman for the local Million Mom March Foundation chapter, acknowledges that some local legislators have been slow to act on what he calls "responsible gun legislation."
"But just because some intransigent lawmakers refuse to address it doesn't mean it doesn't need to be addressed."
There has been little talk of gun-related proposals to be delivered to the Legislature next winter, but the controversial subject is emerging in surrounding states.
In Colorado, the father of a student killed in the Columbine High School shooting has led the drive for Proposition 22, which would close what gun control advocates call the "gun show loophole." Local polls show Proposition 22 has 75 percent support from voters, but the powerful NRA has yet to put anti-Proposition 22 ads on the air.
Blek's message Saturday will be for for better consumer products safety standards and toward efforts to close the gun show loophole that allows people to buy guns in many cases without identification or background checks.