Meet Taylor Davenport-Hudson

We had the good fortune of connecting with Taylor Davenport-Hudson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, what do you attribute your success to?
Guns to Gardens Metro Denver is a grassroots community that safely disposes unwanted guns and forges the parts into garden tools, art, and jewelry. The most important factor for the success of the Guns to Gardens brand is the UNIQUENESS of the gun safe disposal event service we provide to our neighbors. There’s nothing else like it. Guests who choose to dispose of their firearm(s) are treated with genuine respect and non-judgement, and are reassured that their firearm will not be used for future harm, but instead turned into something life-giving. Sometimes the choice to dispose of a firearm is meaningful and deeply healing for the guest. Sometimes it’s practical. Sometimes it’s somewhere in between. No matter what, their choice is anonymous and met with gratitude.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a creative who identifies as a photographer, storyteller, and peacemaker, my primary desire is to bring stories of transformation to light.

I hold by Bachelor’s in Integrated Marketing Communications from the University of Mississippi and Master’s of Education in Nonprofit Leadership from Belmont University. While my degrees provided a strong foundation, my 10+ years in the nonprofit sector have been even more formative. Through this work, I’ve learned that true change happens when we develop genuine relationships with folks different than ourselves. When we truly listen with compassion. When we don’t wait for sweeping legislation to pass, but instead focus on supporting one neighbor at a time.

Through both professional and volunteer work, I’ve had the honor to share stories of transformation– from a struggling reader to a leader, from one gift of rice to a healing meal, from a gun to a garden tool.

But, it turns out these stories of transformation aren’t always picked up by the media or uplifted by the algorithm. While education about social issues is extremely important (and that’s part of my work as well!), it seems the problems, deficits, and negativity get the spotlight.

So, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to keep sharing stories of unlikely wins; stories of hope and healing and transformation. They matter more than we know.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My friend-in-town-for-a-weekend itinerary

Friday
After airport pick-up, DIRT coffee bar in my neighborhood for an afternoon treat. (DIRT creates inclusive, empowering job opportunities for neurodivergent folks AND they make the best lattes.)
Stroll around City Park loop
Five Points for pizza and garlic knots (must have) on the Redeemer Pizza patio, then a drink at The Marigold (and try to resist the urge to adopt another plant)

Saturday
Visit Red Rocks and/or hike at Lair O’ the Bear
Food truck lunch & beer at New Terrain Brewing Company in Golden on the way back up north
(And if you can get tickets, the Coors Brewery tour is actually really fun!)
Dinner at Lucina

Sunday
Pastries at Good Bread on East Colfax
Rockies Game
OR shop/explore downtown (The Shop at MATTER, Little Man Ice Cream, Denver Beer Company, Paddywax)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Guns to Gardens Metro Denver is a project of RAWtools (https://rawtools.org/). I am deeply grateful for the guidance and mentorship of RAWtools Executive Director, Mike Martin. Read his and Shane Claiborne’s book Beating Guns for a complete perspective shift on turning violence into peace, or Teresa Kim Pecinovsky and Hannah Rose Martin’s brand new book Sparking Peace for a kid-friendly version of this transformational vision.

Beating Guns: https://www.amazon.com/Beating-Guns-People-Weary-Violence/dp/158743413X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

Sparking Peace: https://www.amazon.com/Sparking-Peace-Teresa-Kim-Pecinovsky/dp/1513813706/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AG1ESY6CWW5S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.0B2AVH6U7wl2AlfOLDkot781O9b5QTKfZgk5dW-xtIE.WIljALNXcSbfyE89rDwwTkX5nwRRYoxkrdTo7M56R3w&dib_tag=se&keywords=sparking+peace+by+teresa+kim+pecinovsky&qid=1744406037&sprefix=sparking+peace%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-1

Website: https://www.gunstogardensdenver.org

Instagram: https://instagram.com/GunstoGardensDenver

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-davenport-hudson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GunsToGardensDenver

Other: Purchase a garden tool or piece of art or jewelry to support our work at https://springs.rawtools.org/

Image Credits
All photos by Taylor Davenport-Hudson for Guns to Gardens Metro Denver.

Photo 1: A group of Guns to Gardens volunteers gather before a firearm safe disposal drive-through event.

Photo 2: Guns to Gardens Metro Denver volunteer co-organizer Cheryl Fleetwood advertises the program along M.L.K. Jr Blvd.

Photo 3: A former gun barrel is forged into a garden mattock.

Photo 4: A garden mattock, previously a gun barrel, starts to take shape on the forge.

Photo 5: A Guns to Gardens volunteer walks with a disposed assault-style weapon. The leftover parts will be made into garden tools, art, and jewelry.

Photo 6: A Guns to Gardens volunteer holds a garden mattock, trowel, and necklace made of disposed gun parts.

Photo 7: A Guns to Gardens volunteer uses a chop saw to cut a firearm as part of the safe disposal process.

Photo 8: Deacon Clarence McDavid of Cure d’Ars Catholic Church celebrates the safe disposal of 35 unwanted guns in his church parking lot.