some of the garden tools made from rifles
By Dan Murphy
Tired of hearing about gun tragedies? A group called Guns to Gardens is coming to Westchester this fall to try to get unwanted guns off the streets and turn them into garden tools.
Guns to Gardens is a national movement that works to reduce gun violence by reducing the number of guns in homes and communities. Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender events are offered regularly across the country, but none have yet been held in New York. At these events, unwanted guns are dismantled and the leftover parts are later forged into garden tools by trained blacksmiths.
Locally, a Safe Surrender event will be held at the Scarsdale Friends Meetinghouse, 133 Popham Road, Scarsdale, on Saturday, November 16. While the Safe Surrender event is not a traditional gun buyback, the church will distribute food coupons to thank gun owners for disposing of weapons they no longer need.
An introductory event was held on August 3 at First Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon to introduce the group and the process to the public. Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard and County Representative Shanae Williams were in attendance, along with Liz Schutt of Guns to Gardens, Dr. Nancy Dodson of Scarsdale Friends Meetinghouse, and Mark and Cameron of Raw Tools Buffalo, who disassemble firearms and turn them into useful tools. Members of SNUG and Moms Demand Action were also in attendance.
The First Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon is sponsoring the event in collaboration with the South Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry, the Scarsdale Friends Meeting and RAWTools Buffalo and is working together for this new and exciting group.
Mark Stradley, a high school counselor in Buffalo City Schools, learned the trade of blacksmithing in 2019 to show his students that it is possible to overcome gun violence and make peace. “I have worked in the Buffalo school system for about 15 years, and I have probably lost half a dozen students to gun violence,” he said. “And even more students have lost a parent or loved one to gun violence.” Recently, Stradley applied for and received funding through Governor Hochul’s Project RISE to travel with his tools and bring his message of hope and healing to cities across New York State that have experienced high levels of gun violence, including Mount Vernon and Yonkers.
Local volunteers heard of Stradley’s plan to travel around the state demonstrating how to turn guns into garden tools and invited him to the First Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon.
Margery Rossi, pastor of South Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry and assistant coordinator of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship’s Gun Violence Prevention Ministry, described the combined spiritual and practical aspects of the blacksmithing demonstration: “In scripture, we see that the prophet Isaiah foresaw a time of peace and prosperity for his community with the symbolic words ‘They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into sickles.’ Today, people in our country mostly use firearms instead of swords and spears to commit acts of violence. To bring this vision of peace and prosperity to life for our communities, we are transforming firearms into gardening tools as a testimony of our faith and to help people understand that we can take steps to end gun violence and that we can bring peace and healing to our communities. This demonstration is an opportunity to bring healing to survivors and educate our communities about the Guns to Gardens movement.”
According to the CDC, over 43,000 Americans die from gun violence each year. More than half of gun deaths are suicide, followed by murder, family violence, and accidental shootings. A difficult moment can turn into tragedy just because a gun is nearby. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, gun violence is now the number one cause of death among American children and adolescents.
“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” Isaiah 2:4
On November 16, people who no longer own guns can safely drop them off at the Scarsdale Friends Meeting (133 Popham Road, Scarsdale), watch the disassembly of the guns (the parts of which will later be made into garden tools), and receive life-affirming food vouchers as a thank you.
Tax-deductible donations to support the Safe Surrender event on November 16 can be made here or via cell ([email protected]).
For more information about Guns to Gardens, this demonstration or the Safe Surrender event on November 16th, please contact [email protected]
