MOMS SPEAK OUT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS MARCH FOR GUN CONTROL GRANADA HILLS GROUP JOINS THRONGS IN D.C. JEWISH CENTER SHOOTING SERVES AS RALLYING POINT.

Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of thousands of mothers and their families - including groups from the San Fernando Valley and other California communities - used Mother's Day to have their say against gun violence Sunday as the Million Mom March filled the National Mall near the Capitol.

Mindy Finklestein, 16, a day camp counselor at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills, was among dozens of gun victims to address the throng.

She was one of five people shot - including three young boys - when a gunman unleashed a hail of bullets at the center on Aug. 10.

``I'm not coming to you as a hero today,'' said Finklestein, who learned after she was shot that the gunman had later shot and killed Joseph Ileto, her neighborhood postman, in Chatsworth.

``I'm a victim, and I'm still in pain - emotionally and physically. It's not OK to traumatize someone that way. Never again.''

Estimates of the size of the crowd varied from 500,000 to 750,000, with mothers and their children predominating. Near the Washington Monument, a counterdemonstration by the Second Amendment Sisters, a group opposed to gun control, drew several thousand participants.

``I know that gun control increases crime by shifting the balance of power from the law abiding to the criminals,'' Maria Heil, a spokeswoman for Second Amendment Sisters, told supporters.

Protests against gun violence also occurred in communities across the country, including two marches Sunday in Los Angeles.

Alan Stepakoff and Loren Lieb and their son Joshua Stepakoff, 7, of Granada Hills, were part of a large and vocal Million Mom March contingent from the North Valley Jewish Community Center. Joshua was also shot and injured in the Aug. 10 attack. Earlier Sunday, the group attended a White House reception at which President Clinton and first lady and New York Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton signed its banner.

``This march has been a large part of our lives for the last few months,'' Alan Stepakoff said.

``By having everyone come here, speaking in one loud voice, we can make a difference,'' Lieb said. ``Joshua is also excited to be here. But most of all, he wants to feel safe.''

Authorities have charged avowed racist Buford O'Neal Furrow Jr. with the slaying of Ileto and the Jewish Community Center shooting.

The mayhem at the center in Granada Hills served as the impetus for Sunday's event. March founder Donna Dees-Thomases of New Jersey applied for a permit for the rally within days of watching TV coverage of the tragedy.

The JCC marchers also had the day's catchiest chant, which was picked up by many in the crowd. ``A, B, C, D, E, F, G, keep those guns away from me,'' they sang to the tune of familiar nursery rhyme. ``Q, R, S, T, U, V, or in Congress you won't be.''

More than 500 Californians, led by Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, were on hand, including members of Justice for Murdered Children, a Compton-based group of mothers who have lost sons and daughters to gun violence.

``It's time to take a stand, and we have to start here,'' Carol Churchill, co-president of the Long Beach Area League of Women Voters, said at a pre-march rally.

She noted that Long Beach is still reeling from the April 29 shooting death of Police Officer Daryle Black.

``No area is immune from this violence,'' said Marta Macias Brown of San Bernardino, the widow of Congressman George Brown. ``We all have to work to end this senseless loss of life.''

Victims of gun violence could be found at every turn in the throng. A teary-eyed Lisa Spicknall, 25, wore a T-shirt with photos of her daughter Destiny, 3, and son Richie, 2. Both were shot to death by her estranged husband on Sept. 9.

``My husband had a history of domestic violence,'' said Spicknall. ``But it was the gun that he bought that escalated it into tragedy.''

Million Mom March organizers said they will keep up their effort by backing pro-gun control House and Senate candidates and working to defeat foes in the November elections.

The group wants Congress to enact national rules governing handgun sales and ownership. The proposals include mandatory licensing for all handgun owners, a waiting period of at least 72 hours for buyers so that checks of criminal and mental health records can be conducted, a requirement that all handguns be fitted with safety locks and a limit on handgun sales to one per customer per month.

California forbids the carrying of concealed weapons without a permit from local police and also requires a 10-day waiting period for gun buyers. As of Jan. 1, handgun sales to individuals are limited to one per month. The state has no licensing requirement.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1 -- color) A group representing the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills displays a banner Sunday containing the signatures of supporters.

(2) Kelly Ames of Woodbridge, Va., right, is joined by Lisa Whitesell and her daughter Holly at Sunday's Million Mom March on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Warren B. Mayo/Associated Press