WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Hundreds gathered in quiet reflection Tuesday evening as rows of daffodil bulbs were planted outside the West Valley City Family Fitness Center — each representing one of the 450 Utahns who lost their lives to gun violence in 2024.
The event, hosted by the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, combined grief, remembrance, and a renewed call for action. As candles flickered and tears fell, families, advocates, and community leaders planted the symbolic flowers — a gesture of both mourning and hope for change.
Turning Pain Into Purpose
Among the speakers was Siolo Toala, a member of Day Won Utah, who recounted the heartbreaking story of losing his brother Maluolefale to gun violence in 2016.
“He took a hot one to his chest, and we were just down the street waiting for him at a graduation party,” Toala said. “We never got to say goodbye.”
He explained that attending a healing event years later helped him process the trauma. “It was the first time I could start to heal,” he said. “Now I’m using that pain to reach others, so no one has to go through this alone.”
A Ceremony of Remembrance and Resolve
Before planting began, participants lit candles and prayed for the victims. Sara Montoya, board chairwoman of the Gun Violence Prevention Center, said each flower symbolizes a life cut short — and the deep loss left behind.
“Every one of those 450 fatalities is a story of suffering,” Montoya said. “Each leaves behind parents, children, spouses, and friends who will carry that grief forever.”
The organization’s mission, she emphasized, is to educate the public, promote responsible firearm ownership, and urge Utah lawmakers to enact stronger safety measures.
Recent Tragedies Intensify the Conversation
Although the vigil honored lives lost in 2024, speakers noted several recent and devastating incidents this year that have reignited concerns.
Among them were the deaths of fashion designer Afa Ah Loo, killed at a protest in downtown Salt Lake City; Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, assassinated last month on the Utah Valley University campus; and several teen shootings across northern Utah, including the fatal shootings of two 16-year-olds in Ogden and a ninth-grader in Provo Canyon who died by suicide during a school trip.
“These are not distant headlines — these are our communities, our children,” said Ashley Mendoza, co-chairwoman of the Gun Violence Prevention Center. “We must ask: what has happened to Utah’s reputation as a place to raise a family? How are juveniles accessing firearms so easily?”
She urged residents to contact legislators and demand solutions, saying, “Utahns deserve a better response from our lawmakers to this public health crisis.”
Officials Warn of Rising Youth Violence
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill echoed Mendoza’s concern, noting a troubling shift in offender demographics.
“The largest use of gun violence that’s occurring now is between the ages of 10 and 19,” Gill said. “Let that sink in — pre-teens and teenagers are now part of this tragedy.”
Gill emphasized that preventing violence begins with safe gun storage and responsible ownership. “Don’t leave guns in cars, don’t leave them loaded and unattended,” he said. “Events like this remind us that these aren’t statistics — they’re human lives.”
A Community Call to Action
As attendees finished planting daffodil bulbs, the field became a living memorial — 450 reminders of lives lost and a community’s ongoing determination to make change.
“Utahns deserve safer neighborhoods,” Montoya said. “Responsible gun ownership and violence prevention are not opposites — they must coexist if we want a better future for our families.”
