Rowland heads Gun Violence Prevention Board

In 1975, the USCCB said, "Some have suggested citizens arm themselves to protect their families from murder, assault, or robbery. The sad fact is that a handgun purchased for protection is often used in a moment of rage or fear against a relative or acquaintance."

At the Daffodil Day of Remembrance Dennis Nordfelt, Mayor of West Valley City, said he does not consider himself a liberal, but he is in favor of the opportunity to own guns responsibly. He does not consider himself a conservative because he is not opposed to any laws or regulations that affect the ownership or use of firearms. He said he is a moderate.

"When I was a boy, it seems everyone owned firearms, and we all enjoyed the use of firearms in hunting, recreation, and providing for our families," said Mayor Nordfelt. "Occasionally an incident of violence involving firearms occurred. My perception now is that a small percentage of people own firearms and there are many more incidents of violence. So something has to be done."

Mayor Nordfelt said when he was Chief of Police for West Valley City, the Legislature passed an ordinance requiring a waiting period from the time a person made the decision to purchase a firearm until they could actually take possession of the firearm. That only lasted until the next legislative session. He believes the ordinance needs to be passed again, and that any person who commits a crime of violence, whether or not it involves a firearm, no longer has the right to own or possess a firearm. He also believes the penalties need to be more severe than they are for anyone who commits a crime involving the use of a firearm so we communicate to our society that we will not tolerate gun violence or irresponsible gun ownership.

Lorna Brown, a Gun Violence Protection Center board member, became involved after her 4-year-old son was stopped from playing with a handgun. Her son went with his father to a friend’s house, and while his father was working on a computer, he wandered into another room in the friend’s home and found a gun. Luckily the friend realized her son was not in the room and found him before anything could happen. Brown feels fortunate, but realizes the danger in accidental shootings. She feels gun control is the answer to gun violence. Brown said those opposed to gun control are afraid their constitutional rights are being violated, but said regulating guns through the legislature does not violate a person’s rights to own a gun.

According to The Gun Violence Protection Center, in 2005 Utah received a grade of D- for its laws shielding families from gun violence, from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Utah has no child access prevention laws, no gun safety lock or safety design standard laws, no limitation on assault weapons and magazines or "junk" handguns, no requirement for a license to purchase a gun, no requirement to maintain gun sales records or to register the ownership of a gun, no requirement for background checks on "private" gun sales, and no required safety training for handgun buyers.

Brown said as individuals citizens we have the responsibility to stay informed politically about what is going on and stay on top of this issue and communicate with our legislators. Only two percent of the population use guns as a recreational hobby. There is a need to balance their needs and interests with the rest of the population.

"There are some legislative policies that are counterproductive and dangerous to the public as a whole, and we need to look at them in a calm and rational way," said Brown. "We need to sort through the facts and make the best decisions taking everyone’s best interests into account, not just one special interest group. About 98 percent of the population believes in some degree of gun control, some reasonable checks and balances, and we need to communicate these issues with our legislators."

Molen said we make a statement for 98 percent of the population by planting the daffodil bulbs because we have not been successful with the legislature.

"Canada is six times safer for everyone from gun violence," said Molen. "In Canada you are not allowed to own a handgun unless you are very well trained. They benefit from this law. The Canadian doctors who come to the United States to work in our hospitals are shocked at what they see from gun violence. Japan, England, Sweden, Norway, and other western European countries are much safer than we are in the United States. They have hunters, sportsmen, and gun collectors and those are the legitimate uses for guns. Why don’t we have the same level of gun control they have?"