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SALT LAKE CITY — Watching Mark Gilfillan use a saw to cut up her daughter's handgun, Jill Koeven felt a wave of relief.
"It's a crisis averted," Koeven, of Salt Lake City, said. "It feels like it's behind us now. It's over."
Two years ago, Koeven's daughter bought that handgun and went to the Nevada desert to end her life. After having a change of heart, she brought the gun back to Koeven, who has been hiding the gun in her house for the past two years.
Koeven didn't want to sell the gun to a pawn shop, and she couldn't find another way to get rid of it. That is, until she heard that the Utah Gun Violence Prevention Center was hosting a "Guns to Gardens" event to turn unwanted firearms into gardening tools.
The prevention center partnered with the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship to carry out the annual event at more than 30 locations across the country on Saturday morning. The Utah chapter set up a drive-through at Christ United Methodist Church, 2375 E. 3300 South in Salt Lake City. Owners of unwanted guns could drive through the parking lot, sign a waiver and drop off their unwanted gun.
If they wanted to, they could also stay to watch Utah Gun Violence Prevention Center members dismantle their guns. First they checked to make sure there was no ammo in the gun. Then they cut through the trigger mechanism using a saw.
Someone is killed with a gun approximately every 21 hours in Utah, according to the CDC. Everytown for Gun Safety says that 84% of all firearm deaths in the state are suicides, and guns are the second-leading cause of death for Utah children and teens.
Saturday morning's "Guns to Gardens" event came hours after a 16-year-old was injured in an exchange of gunfire in Salt Lake City on Friday night. Police believe the teen was also one of the shooters.
Among other recent incidents, an Ogden man was shot and killed by police after they said he fired a gun at them on Tuesday. A man shot his wife in Hyrum and then took his own life in an apparent murder-suicide on Wednesday, police said; their 16-year-old daughter found their bodies. And Salt Lake police said they were increasing patrols this week after a deadly spate of gun violence last weekend.
Turning weapons into tools offered some a measure of hope on Saturday.
Koeven said her daughter is doing better now. But Koeven said she "can't express enough gratitude for getting rid of that gun."
Koeven's brother was killed in a 1990 dormitory shooting in Indiana. He was just 23 years old. She pointed out that many families are confronted with issues related to gun violence and mental health, but don't have the resources to handle them.
"I'm grateful for events like these," Koeven said of "Guns to Gardens." "I don't think guns are particularly bad, but in a bad situation, they're terrible."
The Utah Gun Violence Prevention Center partners with Raw Tools, a Colorado company that forges guns into garden tools. They then sell those tools and use the profits for trainings and resources that help survivors of gun violence.
Raw Tools first came to Utah for a 2019 presentation where gun violence survivors could help hammer out their guns to be made into tools. Terri Gilfillan, chairwoman of the prevention center's board, called the 2019 event a "cathartic" experience.
"We feel like this is a way for people to feel like they can do something about the gun violence issue," Gilfillan said. "This is a positive way to respond to gun violence."
Gilfillan said the "Guns to Gardens" event was inspired by the lack of options for people to get rid of their unwanted guns, as well as by the biblical proverb in the book of Isaiah about turning "swords into plowshares."
She said Utah needs more effective gun laws, including required background checks, better training and stronger regulations for the safe storage of firearms.
"Across the country, with these mass shootings, it's just heartbreaking," Gilfillan said. "I don't see it ending until our lawmakers really decide, at some point, that the lives of our children and our fellow neighbors are more important than someone's right to bear arms."
Gilfillan made it clear she isn't against gun ownership, just irresponsible gun ownership, and believes that stronger gun safety policies will improve safety for everyone.
The Utah Gun Violence Prevention Center also provides individual services to people wanting to get rid of their guns. Locals are encouraged to reach out on their website or find them on social media for more information.
