COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — After losing his 17-year-old son to an accidental shooting, a Utah father has transformed his grief into a mission to prevent gun violence through education and support for affected families.
Jeff Jarrett founded the nonprofit "Harley's Angels" after his son Harley was killed 11 years ago. He said his son's friend accidentally shot him with what they thought was an unloaded gun.
"He went to a little get-together over at his friend's house. Somebody had a stolen gun, and they broke it out," Jarrett said. "They were all passing it around, checking it out, and my son's friends, when it was his turn to look at the gun, he thought it wasn't loaded, and as a joke, he put it to my son's head, and he thought it wasn't loaded, and he pulled the trigger."
That night changed his life forever.
"I got a knock on the door to about 10 Cottonwood Heights police officers," he recalled. "I remember pointing at them and just being like, 'You guys are all a bunch of liars. My son can't be dead.'"
Jarrett describes making the devastating call to Harley's mother as "the hardest phone call I've ever made in my life."
"Having to call my son's mom and tell her what happened and hearing that scream on the phone — it was horrible," he said.
For years after the tragedy, Jarrett struggled with substance abuse and suicidal thoughts before finding purpose in creating the nonprofit.
"Something sparked in my head. Something told me to start a nonprofit," Jarrett said.
The organization works with families who have lost children to gun accidents and supports individuals who have unintentionally harmed others.
Beyond providing support to affected families, Jarrett worked to pass House Bill 104, which requires Utah schools to teach gun safety. The legislation takes effect July 1 of this year.
Recent shootings in Utah have been particularly difficult for Jarrett, who empathizes deeply with families now experiencing similar trauma.
"I just look at the hard road that these families have ahead of them. It took me forever to find happiness again in this world. I'm here to talk to them if they need anything," he said.
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Despite his grief, Jarrett found room to forgive the person responsible for his son's death.
"The judge talked to me, he was like, 'Mr. Jarrett, how do you feel about this?'" Jarrett said. "And I told him... 'One life was lost. What's the point of two lives being lost?'"
Jarrett continues his mission to educate youth about gun safety to prevent other families from experiencing similar tragedies.
"The conversations, feeling his presence, sitting down, watching a movie, going out to eat… all those are just thoughts in my head now," he said.
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