San Bernardino victim's family attends SOTU

WASHINGTON (KABC) -- The Meins family will never forget Dec. 2. It's the day their beloved husband and father Damian Meins never returned home.

"My husband and I were married 36 years. We were high school sweethearts," Trenna Meins, Damian Meins' widow said.

Damian Meins was killed during the terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center orchestrated and carried out by Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik.

"He loved to learn about things. He was extremely intelligent and will be missed," Trenna Meins said.

On Tuesday, the Meins family was in Washington D.C. to attend President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address.

While facing the heartache of missing their father and husband, the Meins said they were willing to attend the event in hopes of spreading a message.

"We wanted to come here just to talk to as many as possible, try to advocate as much as possible to see that there are some changes so that other families are not affected in the future. They don't have to suffer the way that we did," Tina Meins, Damian Meins' daughter said.

The Meins said they know it's controversial, but they want to speak out against U.S. gun laws.

They said the San Bernardino tragedy has led to a better understanding of a problem and a realization that something needs to be done.

"The important thing that we've learned is really about the laws we have in place right now and that there are loopholes," Tawnya Meins, Damian Meins' daughter said. "We're just hoping that one-by-one we can start closing them so this doesn't happen."

As the Meins stay strong in their effort to spread their message, the family acknowledges the loss of their loved one has taken a toll on the entire family.

"It isn't one day at a time, it's one minute at a time with us," Trenna Meins said.

The Meins were invited to the State of the Union address by Rep. Mark Takano from Riverside and met with First Lady Michelle Obama beforehand.