MEMPHIS, Tenn — In a community where gun violence is still a present issue, a Midtown church is determined to seek solutions.
Over the course of a year, on average 2,273 people are killed by guns in Tennessee, while another 2,697 are injured, according to Evergreen Presbyterian Church. In Tennessee, Shelby County sees the highest amount of firearm deaths, suicides and homicides.
This trend is one nobody wants to see and what spurned the creation of Guns to Gardens at Evergreen.
“Every time, I’m still overwhelmed with gratitude,” said Patrick Harley, Evergreen Presbyterian Church pastor, “We wanted to offer to the community an opportunity to surrender any unwanted firearms.”
In February, the congregation opened its doors to the community during the gun surrender event, offering people the chance to exchange their guns for Kroger gift cards.
“We had put so much work into it, and we were nervous that what if there were only two or three guns?" Harley said. "And we thought, ‘Well then, it’s still worth it’...but we got 79.”
The next step came with a transformation. Thanks to help from artists at the Metal Museum and Moore Tech, those former guns were turned into gardening tools and picturesque pieces of art, including a bench made out of rifle barrels and keychains.
“That was really the most inspiring thing, was to see that final piece of such beautiful art and new life to come from all these gun parts,” Harley said.
Those pieces were then put up for sale, with 100% of the funds raised going back into the local Guns to Gardens program. At the moment, Harley plans to continue with the program annually, with the surrender event happening in February, before artists begin work on transforming those firearms into something for good.
“I think a lot of folks are getting tired of the constant news of gun violence, so any way that we can take direct action and do something positive, I think speaks to folks,” Harley said.
Guns to Gardens is a nationwide movement, with events happening in cities like Louisville, Nashville and Atlanta. Harley said Evergreen is in the process of helping with the development of an event in Birmingham.