OGDEN — Daffodils were planted at the Ogden Botanical Gardens Friday in recognition of those who lost their lives as a result of gun violence in Utah in 2023.

Each of the 493 bulbs, planted as part of an annual tradition established by the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, or GVPC, honored an individual victim of gun violence in the state.

Representatives from local law enforcement agencies and the Ogden School District spoke following the planting, with each acknowledging some of the strides that have been made locally in Ogden and Weber County at large over the years.

However, the sobering reality of how many forward steps must still be taken was also acknowledged.

“This is something that we work with day to day, and we look at stats daily or weekly, but when you put it together in a whole year across the state, that’s too many,” Weber County Sheriff Ryan Arbon said.

“Gun violence is a very complex issue,” added Ogden Police Chief Jake Sube. “It is not an issue that’s based solely on criminals using guns against victims. It’s also incorporating individuals who get a hold of guns when they shouldn’t and the accidental injuries that occur from firearms to suicide.”

An overwhelming majority of the gun-related deaths in Utah in 2023 were by suicide, reminded GVPC’s Nancy Halden, who joined other speakers in asserting the importance of properly securing guns that are legally owned.

“During the pandemic, a record number of people in Utah and across the country bought guns and a lot of them were brand new gun owners,” Halden told the Standard-Examiner. “It was at exactly the same time that we passed permitless carry. So, they didn’t have to get any training. (Chief Sube) referenced the fact that guns were being stolen out of cars. … And our homicide rates, for the first time in history — we have very low homicide rates compared to the rest of the nation — soared.”

Said Sube: “Our biggest issue when it comes to firearm theft is vehicles. We are still getting inundated by people leaving firearms in vehicles and they’re being stolen, and now they’re being placed into illicit activity.”

Halden further expressed that there’s a need for safe storage and other laws governing responsible gun ownership.

“You can talk to people and suggest that they store their guns safely, but you make it a law and people sort of get serious about it,” she said. “I talk to a lot of gun owners, and I know there’s reluctance, because they’re like, ‘Well, I need my gun. I need to be able to get it in a hurry to protect my family.’ But with biometric safes now, you put your finger on that safe, you open the door, you’ve got your loaded gun in there, and you’re the only person that can get to it. There’s no reason not to have those.”

Halden noted that there are programs around the state that can assist gun owners with getting safes and/or gun locks.

For additional information, go to https://gvpc.org/.