Chipping away at gun violence in Colorado

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LOUISVILLE — In one of the latest efforts to reduce gun violence by turning weapons into innocuous objects, such as gardening tools, more than 70 firearms were taken out of commission recently in Denver, Colorado.

The firearms, which included five assault-style weapons, were collected during a Guns to Gardens event hosted by Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church and Temple Micah in October, with support from other organizations.

Thirty-three people responded to the call to relinquish their weapons so the firearms could be chopped up and later forged into garden tools, jewelry or art, in keeping with Isaiah 2:4, which says, “… They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.”

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The effort, a local iteration of the national Guns to Gardens movement, was designed to get guns out of homes and communities where they could be used for self-harm or to injure  other people, said Susie Pappas, a Montview member who’s also part of Colorado Faith Communities United to End Gun Violence (CFCU), an ecumenical organization that includes Montview and Temple Micah, among others.

The event in which gift cards were given in exchange for guns was “a concrete example of something you can do,” Pappas said. “We're not solving the issue of gun violence in our country with these safe-surrender events, but it does get people thinking and talking about it and gives them a sense of hope that this is at least one thing I can do, and maybe, they'll do something else (too). … We’re just chipping away at it.”

Prior to the event, organizers and volunteers canvassed the area to let neighbors know what was planned and to invite them to be a part of the event if they had firearms to get rid of.

“One woman drove from Wyoming to Denver to surrender a handgun her son had used to end his life,” according to a summary provided to the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, now a part of the Office of Public Witness (OPW). “Several wanted guns out of their homes because of concern about family members having access. One man was a minister who was disturbed by his former congregation wearing firearms to services. A couple of people needed the money to buy groceries.”

The churches gave out almost $7,000 in gift cards to gun owners, using money from the congregations and other sources, including RAWtools and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). They received $2,000 from PC(USA)’s Decade to End Gun Violence fund, the source of more than a dozen grants distributed this year to organizations working to combat gun violence, said Dr. Andrew Peterson, OPW Associate for Peacemaking.

The PC(USA) grant was tremendously helpful, Pappas said, in paying for the gift cards. How much a gun holder received varied, depending on the category of firearm, Pappas said. “Rifles and shotguns get $50, handguns get $150, and assault weapons get $250.”

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The gun owners were given the opportunity to see the guns destroyed in front of them, a process that took place while they were in their cars.

After they fill out an optional survey, “we move them to what we call the safety check station,” and a “volunteer takes the firearms out of their car and checks to make sure they're unloaded,” Pappas said.

The serial number is recorded and reported to the police so that they know these guns have been destroyed. Then participants move down to the chop saws “and are watching from their cars as their guns are being chopped up,” Pappas said.

Despite concerns that it might rain, “it was a perfect day weather-wise — not a drop of rain — and it was mild and pleasant,” Pappas said. “So that was a real gift too.”

Read more about Guns to Gardens and gun violence prevention here and on the website of Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. Read about a demonstration that was held in conjunction with the 226th General Assembly (2024) here.