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MILLCREEK — On Feb. 12, 2007, all Carolyn Tuft wanted to do was take her 15-year-old daughter, Kirsten, to buy valentines at Trolley Square.
But in a matter of minutes, Kirsten was left dead and Tuft was severely wounded when an 18-year-old opened fire at the Salt Lake shopping center.
"We were already down when he came back in to make sure we were dead," Tuft said. She was shot three times, and Kirsten was shot twice.
Along with losing her daughter, Tuft lost her business and her home as she struggled to recover. She still faces continual pain from the shooting and is facing her 30th surgery upcoming. Tuft is now a passionate proponent of stronger gun laws.
"Our community needs to wake up from their apathy and be part of the solution before you end up like me," she said. "There's more we can do to stop people from coming in and shooting people."
Tuft was one of the community members involved in the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah's annual daffodil planting Saturday morning. The center planted 456 daffodils in the Millcreek City Garden to honor the 456 Utahns who died by gun violence in 2022.
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'It's a crisis averted': Utahns turn firearms into garden tools to fight gun violence
The Utah Gun Violence Prevention Center hosted a "Guns to Gardens" event Saturday to allow locals to get rid of unwanted firearms safely.This event has gone on since about 2002, with the center choosing a different community to plant in each year, said Terri Gilfillan, chairwoman of the prevention center's board. Burying daffodil bulbs symbolizes burying victims of gun violence, but also offers the chance to create new life and awareness out of a tragedy, Gilfillan said.
Approximately 376 Utahns die from gun violence every year, at a rate of 13.1 deaths for every 100,000 people, according to research by the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety. From 2009 to 2018, the rate of gun deaths in Utah increased by 26%, compared to 18% nationwide.
About 84% of those deaths are suicides, according to Everytown.
Gilfillan called on Utah legislators to enact stronger gun laws, and expressed disappointment in open carry laws and bills like HB461 that allow people who bring guns into restricted areas in airports to get back their confiscated firearms.
"Our children and families need to feel safe in this community," she said. "Utahns deserve a better public safety response from our lawmakers to this public health crisis."
