We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility ...

Then, tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm thinking what a joke," she says. "The blood of our children is running up the streets of Philadelphia. Where is the domestic tranquility?"

It's a question she began asking herself even before the 2001 shooting death of her 24-year-old son, Khaaliq Jabbar Johnson. Yet his murder strengthened her determination to limit the availability of handheld weapons.

So three years ago, she formed Mothers in Charge, one of dozens of anti-violence organizations in the Pennsylvanians Against Trafficking Handguns (PATH) Coalition planning to attend a Sept. 26 anti-gun-violence rally in Harrisburg.

The three-pronged goal of the rally is to convince state lawmakers to limit handgun purchases to one a month, require gun owners to report lost or stolen guns within 24 hours and allow first-class cities like Philadelphia to set their own gun laws.

"The legislators need to remember who they serve." says Johnson-Speight.

Although city lawmakers and advocacy groups have quietly lobbied for stronger gun laws, Tuesday's rally marks the first time they've planned a unified public event.

So far, supporters say, gun-control legislation has not come up for a vote largely because of the perception that handgun violence is a problem only in cities and that limitations impinge upon the rights of gun owners.

Peggy McCausland, president of Ceasefire PA, insists residents in the suburbs want stronger laws, as evidenced by Ceasefire's July petition-signing drive in Delaware County and state Rep. Dwight Evans' poll of residents in Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and Delaware counties. Results show suburban residents even in Republican-leaning communities overwhelmingly support gun-control laws.

But it's not the citizens who need convincing, McCausland says, it's the legislators. That's why the rally, set to start with a noon vigil on the steps of the Capitol, coincides with a Committee of the Whole session called to discuss gun violence.

"There are [lawmakers] that will do the right thing," says McCausland. "There are others that will do the right thing when they know they won't lose their job."

Philadelphia elected officials, at least, know where their constituents stand. In May 2005, city voters overwhelmingly passed a referendum, championed by Councilmembers Darrell Clarke and Donna Reed Miller, urging the state to let the city make its own laws. The state has taken no significant steps toward gun control since then, although state Sen. LeAnna Washington attended violence hearings in council chambers last month.

"If this rally can move legislators to understand how important this measure is to a vast number of people in the commonwealth and the communities," says Washington spokeswoman Pamela Smith-Chavis, "perhaps they will be ready to take positive action and support the whole package of gun-reform bills."

That's a big "if," says state Sen. Connie Williams, noting that she expects the National Rifle Association to show up in counterprotest. "We'll see what happens," she says. "Clearly, some of these issues should resonate with people all over the commonwealth."

A week before the rally, Ray Jones, of Men United for a Better Philadelphia, said PATH had already filled 25 buses, with Mayor Street expected to join the group. Several members also planned to take six days to walk the nearly 100 miles to Harrisburg, stopping in Norristown, Reading and other cities along the way that have been affected by gun violence (See "Two Minutes with Bilal Qayyum" on this page).

"We really wanted to dramatize how important this issue is in Philadelphia and other cities throughout the commonwealth," he says.

Despite advocates' and lawmakers' enthusiasm, Ceasefire NJ Exective Director Bryan Miller cautioned that even the Garden State didn't get its strong gun laws overnight.

"The gun lobby has been very effective in making its point to the media and lawmakers," says Miller, who nevertheless calls the rally "the first crack in that armor."

Johnson-Speight, who sees it as a chance for people to unite, both now, and after the 26th, says, "We should all be able to experience domestic tranquility,"

(jenna.portnoy@citypaper.net)