Jan. 24 Lake Norman area faith communities, in partnership with RAWtools South, are planning a Gun Safe-Surrender Event in February.

Anyone may bring unwanted (and unloaded and working) guns to be dismantled and transformed into garden tools and art to surrender 1-4 pm Feb. 17 at The Gethsemane Baptist Church, 565 Jetton St., in Davidson. 

Those donating guns will be celebrated with a gift card to local groceries or home improvement stores: $100 card for rifles and shotguns, $150 for handguns, and $200 for assault weapons after that gun has been disabled as a thank you for the donation, as supplies last. 

With more than 300 million guns in American homes, many of these guns are unwanted for a range of reasons: there may be children or vulnerable adults in the house, owners may no longer be able to safely handle weapons, guns may have been used unintentionally or for harm, there may be a family member with serious illness, or any number of other reasons.

Approximately 43,000 Americans die every year from gun violence. The majority of those deaths are from suicide, followed by homicide, family violence and unintentional shootings. Removing an unsecured, unwanted gun from the home can prevent many of these deaths.

Other details:

● Individuals may safely dispose of unwanted guns anonymously.

● Trained volunteers will use power tools to make cuts to the gun according to guidelines from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Once these cuts are made it is no longer legally a gun, so there is no transfer of ownership

● The public is asked, when bringing their working and unloaded gun, to leave the UNLOADED gun(s) stored in the trunk of the vehicle or in a locked container. 

● This is a drive-thru event, and only donors of guns and registered volunteers will be allowed on the property.

● RAWtools South is part of a growing network of blacksmiths who forge dismantled guns into garden tools and art according to the scripture in Micah 4:3: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”

All are invited to a demonstration at 5 pm in which metal from a disabled gun is transformed into a gardening tool.

Donations

Donations to the event will help secure gift cards and the tools and safety equipment necessary to hold this event.

Click here to donate. 

Sponsors are Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Cornelius Presbyterian Church, Gethsemane Baptist Church and Temple Kohl Tikvah.