‘It offers a way forward that isn’t violent’: Bend church hosts ‘Guns for Gardens’ to promote gun safety

(Update: Adding video, statements from church and gun owner)

They are disassembled, turned into garden tools

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A coalition of organizations is promoting gun safety and a path to end gun violence through a firearm buy-back event Saturday morning at a Bend church, with a unique twist.

From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, residents can donate their guns to be recycled into garden tools during the event, in the parking lot of Antioch Church in northeast Bend.

"We offer some hope, offer a way forward that isn't a violent way forward, " said Amy Kasari, the church's pastor of hospitality and justice. "And by removing guns from homes where people don't want the guns, we hope that we're reducing some instances of gun injuries."

A practice event was held Thursday at the church. Redmond Police donated seized weapons for professionals to use. The unloaded weapons were cut into three pieces, using a chop saw.

"Once those cuts are made, the gun ceases to be a gun, so there's no transfer of ownership," Kasari said. "hen we actually have a blacksmith in our congregation who is going to set up a mobile forge here in our parking lot and start working that metal into garden tools."

According to its website, the group works with local artists and creatives to promote conflict resolution.

"We feel compelled to find a tangible way to spread peace amidst rising violence." the coalition said.

Participants will enter a drive-thru with their firearms placed in the trunk, rear, or back seat. Skilled professionals will then take the weapons to a chop saw station to disassemble them.

One gun owner said he believes turning in his guns will make him let go,

"For me, it wasn't healthy, didn't put me in a healthy mental state," Justin Nelson said. "It isn't that we think that guns are bad, but we do think that a commitment to nonviolence and shifting the culture in that direction is really important."

More information at: https://www.presbypeacefellowship.org/gun-violence/

Here's their news release:

GUN SAFE SURRENDER EVENT AUG 12 AT ANTIOCH CHURCH 

Guns to Gardens Turns Unwanted Guns into Garden Tools 

07.01.23  BEND, OREGON  –  Guns to Gardens gun safe surrender event on Saturday, August 12 at 10am-12pm in the Antioch Church parking lot at 566 NE Clay Avenue. 

Antioch Church of Bend, Oregon will offer a gun safe surrender event to remove unwanted firearms from the community, allow for safe disposal of unwanted firearms, reduce the number of gun deaths and injuries in the community, and “turn swords into plowshares.” 

“Anyone may bring unwanted and unloaded guns to be dismantled and later made into garden tools,” said Pastor Amy Kasari. “As we seek to follow the way of Jesus, we feel compelled to find a tangible way to spread peace amidst rising violence. While mass shootings are often what makes the news, far more gun violence occurs in the form of everday accidents and suicides. Over 43,000 Americans die every year from gun violence. Approximately 60% of the gun deaths are from suicide, followed by homicide, family violence, and accidents. A difficult moment can turn into a tragedy simply because a gun is nearby. If you feel that it is no longer safe or desirable for you to have a gun in your home, this is a responsible way to dispose of your unwanted guns.”

The event is part of the “Guns to Gardens” movement, which works to reduce gun violence by reducing the number of guns in homes and communities. Unwanted guns are dismantled and the leftover parts are forged into garden tools.

With an estimated 400 million guns in American homes, many of these guns are no longer wanted for a range of reasons: the gun owner may have children or grandchildren in the home; a hunter or other gun owner may have reached an age where they no longer feel that they can safely handle weapons; a gun may have been returned to family by the police after it was used in a suicide or unintentional shooting; there may be conflict in a family; or there may be a family member with a serious mental illness or health condition. For whatever reason, Guns to Gardens provides a way to dispose of unwanted guns without returning them to the gun marketplace where they could be used for future harm.  

For the August 12th drive-through event, unloaded guns should be placed in the trunk, rear, or back seat of a vehicle.  Skilled personnel will remove the firearms from vehicles and transfer them to a chop saw station. Trained volunteers will use power tools to make three cuts to the gun, according to guidelines from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The gun owner waits through this process and there is no transfer of firearm ownership. Once the gun is dismantled, it is no longer legally a gun. The owner can donate the leftover parts to be forged into garden tools.  While the Safe Surrender event is not a traditional gun “Buy Back,” the church will distribute gift cards to gun owners as a way to thank them for disposing of unwanted guns. Guns must be unloaded and ammunition is not accepted.

Details:

Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event

Sat. Aug. 12, 10am-12pm

Antioch Church, 566 NE Clay Avenue, Bend, Oregon.

Place unwanted guns in a vehicle trunk.

Guns must be unloaded. Gun donors are anonymous. No ammunition is accepted.

Thank you gift cards will be provided for working guns while supplies last.

$100 for a single shot (shotgun, long gun, or hunting rifle), 

$200 for a revolver or semi-automatic handgun, 

$300 for a semi-automatic (assault style) rifle.

For more information, or to contribute a tax-deductible gift for the project, contact antioch.gunstogardens@gmail.com.

About Guns to Gardens

Guns to Gardens is a new movement in the United States to provide Americans with a practical way to responsibly dispose of unwanted guns. Sometimes these are inherited guns. Sometimes they are guns that a family feels are unsafe to have in a home, for instance, with children or teens, with senior citizens, or with anyone who suffers from mental illness. The project is modeled on the non-profit organization RAWtools, which for over ten years has created a national network of blacksmiths who forge dismantled gun parts into garden tools and art projects. For more information, see RAWtools.org or presbypeacefellowship.org/gun-violence