skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

Utah Nonprofit to Turn Surrendered Firearms into Garden Tools

play audio
Play

Thursday, June 9, 2022   

Gun violence has become an epidemic across America, leaving many people frightened and wondering what can be done about it. A Utah group is taking action with a unique event this weekend to reduce the number of guns on the streets.

A nonprofit group is hosting a Guns to Gardens event Saturday, where Utahns who no longer want or need their guns can safely surrender them and go home with a new garden tool.

Nancy Halden, communications director with the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, said they are taking the Bible verse to "beat swords into plowshares" literally and turn the firearms into garden implements.

"We partner with an organization out of Colorado called RAW Tools," said Halden. "What they do is take donated, unwanted guns, dismantle them with a chop saw, and then they have a portable forge and they turn them into tools on the spot."

Halden said their version of the national Guns to Gardens event isn't likely to solve America's gun problem, but is a small step toward reducing the number of dangerous firearms.

The event is Saturday afternoon at Grace Presbyterian Church in Sandy.

She said the event is designed to prevent further gun violence from unwanted firearms in households where vulnerable children, adults and the elderly reside, adding that Utah has one of the highest rates of suicide by gun and gun violence in domestic disputes.

"As the number of gun owners has gone up, gun violence has gone up," said Halden. "In addition to that, here in Utah, they passed permit-less carry, so you had a lot of first-time gun buyers buying guns because they were afraid and they're not trained."

She said in addition to hosting events like Guns to Gardens, the Gun Violence Prevention Center works to inform and encourage sensible gun ownership.

"We're trying to educate those people who choose to have guns about responsible gun ownership," said Halden. "And those people who no longer want their guns, we're trying to urge them to get those guns out of their home."

Halden says they plan to host similar events in other parts of the state. For more information on Guns to Gardens, go to GVPC.org.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
According to the Tax Policy Center, for higher-income earners, sales taxes consume a lower share of their income than for other households. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Nebraska state lawmakers convene for a special session on property tax reform called by Gov. Jim Pillen, groups are weighing in on the details …


play sound

Traveling around rural Minnesota can be difficult but in more than half the state, nonprofit transit systems are helping people get where they need …

Social Issues

play sound

Student loan forgiveness took center stage on Thursday at the American Federation of Teachers conference. The Biden administration has canceled more …


Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has introduced legislation to codify the Chevron Deference into law. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Recent Supreme Court rulings on air pollution are affecting Virginia and the nation. Climate advocates said the court overstepped its bounds in …

Health and Wellness

play sound

World Hepatitis Day is this Sunday, and for the Oregon Health Authority, it's an opportunity to promote its plan to eliminate hepatitis across the …

The Gender Shades project revealed facial recognition performed poorest for darker-skinned women, and performed best for lighter-skinned men. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Columbia County, New York, is implementing new facial recognition and privacy policies, following new upgrades to the county's surveillance cameras…

Health and Wellness

play sound

New York disability-rights advocates are celebrating the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The 1990 …

Social Issues

play sound

As summer winds down and North Carolina students prepare to return to school, the focus shifts to the urgent need for better public education funding…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021