After Saturday's Guns to Garden Tools event, unwanted firearms will be melted down and turned into garden tools.
The buyback program is part of an effort to reduce the number of unwanted firearms in the community and reduce the risk of gun violence.
Tulsa Metro Authority, District 3 Councilwoman Christa Patrick hosted the event in partnership with the United Methodist Church Oklahoma Conference, Morelos Supermercados and the Dawson Creative Guild.
"We want people to know that we are not anti-gun and that this event is about responsible gun ownership and attitudes about gun violence," Patrick said. "So that's what I wanted to do, to be able to heal without judgment and send a message of love.
The shopping event will be held on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 7830 E. Admiral Place, in the shopping center parking lot on Memorial Drive. It's designed so that anyone with an unwanted firearm can anonymously drop it off in their trunk or the back of a car. Trained technicians will remove weapons from each vehicle and ensure each weapon is safely unloaded, and each donor will receive a receipt redeemable for a cash gift card.
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Blacksmiths from the Dawson Craftsmen's Guild will break down the firearms there, then turn them into gardening tools in a ceremony that will be returned to the shooting survivors.
The idea for Guns to Garden Tools Five years ago, retired United Methodist minister Twill Gibbons was in Washington, D.C., attending a gun violence prevention seminar. After witnessing tragic events like the San Francisco hospital shooting last June, Gibbons said he felt it was time to act.
"I got to the point where I felt like I could do anything to help," Gibbons said.
She contacted Ali Shimmy of Tulsa Capital Ministries, the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church, and Patrick to begin planning and fundraising for the Guns to Garden Tools program, a gun based on similar seizure events in Colorado. Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Utah.
Patrick said she wanted to promote responsible gun ownership in the 3rd Ward and was excited to be a partner in the program, as her husband is a blacksmith and a veteran.
"My neighborhood has a lot of veterans, and the mental health issues in this community are real, the way veterans end their lives with a gun," Patrick said. "And after the epidemic, we see a real increase in frustration every day.
"For days it seems we are one incident away from gun violence. Therefore, now more than ever, it is important to give people a chance to get out of this situation by surrendering their weapons.
Keeping gun purchases as anonymous as possible is important to Gibbons and Patrick.
"There are many reasons why people use this program, many of which are private," Patrick said. “There are people who are proud and don't want to look weak or look like they need help. Some people may exchange gift cards because they can feed their children.
"From financial reasons to spiritual reasons to mental health reasons, it's so important to respect these people and make choices without judgment."
Blacksmiths from the Dawson Creative Guild, Patrick's husband, Ragnar Crowson, will play an important role in Guns to Garden Tools.
"I don't know many veterans who don't know another veteran who has shot their gun, and if it was someone I loved, I wouldn't want that gun and I wouldn't want it on anyone else . . . or own it," Crowson said. "We have a unique opportunity here to help people and help them heal from trauma."
After guns are converted into gardening tools, they can be presented to gun violence survivors at an upcoming event. The survivors will be invited to participate in the metal work that will take place that day.
"If survivors want to participate in making tools that day to help with the healing process, drums and metal can come," Patrick said. "It can help them release some frustrations and be part of the process of changing the intent of the weapon."
Patrick said he received negative comments on social media before the event, but said once people understand the purpose of the Guns to Garden Tools program, they will see the positive impact it can have on the community.
"Gun owners are very concerned about people forcing them to give up their guns," Patrick said. "But we're saying that if you don't want to own a gun, the responsible way to do it is not to leave it in your car or in your closet. It can have undesirable consequences."
If Saturday's event goes well, Gibbons and Patrick said they hope to hold another Guns to Garden Tools event in June, which is National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
"I hope we can have civil conversations about our feelings about guns, about our experiences, so we can build community," Gibbons said. "It's about envisioning a safer community in Tulsa and what we can do to make that happen."
