plowshares, the Guns to Gardens movement completes gun buybacks, or as the organization prefers to call them, safe surrender events. The destroyed gun parts are then sent to blacksmiths to transform the guns into garden tools. The grassroots movement was founded by Colorado resident Mike Martin following the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in December 2012. For Martin, whose wife is a first-grade teacher, the Sandy Hook tragedy was a call to action. “When we think of those impacted by gun violence, it’s not just that person who was harmed and their family and close friends. It’s also the community; the ripple effect is huge,” Martin said. In the aftermath of Sandy Hook, Martin launched Raw Tools and the Guns to Gardens movement. Raw Tools is a nonprofit dedicated to transforming instruments of violence into tools for peace. “For us, this was the way forward, taking something destructive and reshaping it into something that gives life,” Martin said. From its humble beginnings in Colorado Springs, Martin’s work has become a national movement with Guns to Garden surrender events in many major cities. Martin’s work with Raw Tools is deeply shaped by his Mennonite faith, which is rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the call to nonviolence. He sees his work not just as activism, but as a spiritual “FOR US, THIS WAS THE WAY FORWARD, TAKING SOMETHING DESTRUCTIVE AND RESHAPING IT INTO SOMETHING THAT GIVES LIFE,” MIKE MARTIN SAID. SEEKING JUSTICE, UNDERSTANDING, AND ACTION Police eventually arrested and charged a 15-year-old with Jayden’s murder. Since then, he has been charged with additional unrelated crimes, including the killing of a pregnant woman and involvement in a shootout with Aurora Police Department (APD) officers in November 2023. During the court proceedings, Cooper noticed the aggressive, defiant demeanor of the suspect’s mother, which resulted in a surprising shift in Cooper’s perspective. “I had empathy for him,” she said. “[I decided] I have to forgive him. I don’t have a choice. It’s how I was raised.” But forgiveness did not come easy, nor did it diminish the weight of her grief. Cooper turned to therapy and joined a support group for women who have lost children to violence. “For months, I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t get out of bed,” she said. “Meeting other mothers who understood what I was going through helped me start to heal.” One of Jayden’s former teachers reached out with the idea to start a nonprofit in his honor. This idea formed Jayden’s Place, an organization dedicated to supporting at-risk youth and keeping them on the right track. The nonprofit provides mentorship, organizes community events, and offers Cooper said. HEALING THROUGH ADVOCACY Cooper’s advocacy also led her to an unusual outlet to heal: a grassroots movement called Guns to Gardens. Inspired by the biblical vision of beating swords into resources for children in underserved areas. “I give them everything that I can’t give my son anymore,” practice, embodying the belief that redemption is always possible — not just for people, but for the very objects that cause harm. “Jesus didn’t tell his followers to fight — he told Peter to put away his sword,” Martin explains. “If we truly believe in transformation, we have to live like it’s possible.” Through Guns to Gardens, Martin helps people disarm not only their homes but also their hearts, offering a tangible way to choose peace over fear. Cooper has participated in multiple Guns to Garden events and said she finds the surrender events and Martin’s message empowering. “The whole process of cutting through a gun is just therapeutic,” she said. “And I want to do anything in my power to keep guns out of the hands of irresponsible people.” Martin estimates that Guns to Garden events have helped transform thousands of unwanted guns into garden tools. He learned to blacksmith in his dad’s garage so he could be part of every step of the transformative work. He invites those impacted by gun violence to take part in the blacksmithing. JAYDEN HOYLE WAS KILLED BY GUN VIOLENCE IN 2022; HIS MOTHER, TASHA COOPER, KEEPS HIS MEMORY ALIVE IN HER HOME. GARDEN TOOLS FORGED FROM DESTROYED AND SURRENDERED GUNS ARE READY FOR SALE. 10 DENVER VOICE April 2025
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