Surrendered guns will begin to be transformed into garden tools on February 24th at Evergreen Presbyterian Church. During the church’s “Guns to Gardens” event, surrendered guns will be immediately cut up with a chop saw. Later, they’ll be turned into garden tools and art objects by artisans with the Metal Museum.
“Like so many in our community, our church is concerned about the extreme level of gun violence in Memphis and the lives that are being devastated every day,” said Evergreen pastor Reverend Patrick Harley. “We are offering this event as an affirmation of our commitment to peacemaking by working to reduce gun violence in Memphis and Shelby County.
“People who, for whatever reason, have guns they no longer want will be able to safely and anonymously surrender those firearms to be dismantled and later transformed into garden tools. This is foundational to our faith — taking weapons designed to destroy and transforming them into tools that bring life.”
During the drive-through event, gun owners must bring their guns unloaded and stored securely in the trunk or rear of their vehicles. While those owners remain in their cars, their guns will be dismantled with a chop saw.
No background checks will be conducted and no personal information will be collected. Unlike a “buy back” event, gun ownership is not transferred. Gun owners will be offered Kroger gift cards ($50 for handguns, $100 for rifles and shotguns, and $150 for semiautomatic and automatic guns, while supplies last) as a way to thank people for disposing of unwanted guns. Spiritual and mental health support will also be available on-site.
The project is part of the national “Guns to Gardens” movement, which works to reduce gun violence by reducing the number of guns in homes and communities. Similar events have taken place across the country, resulting in the dismantling of thousands of guns.
The gun parts collected at the event will be given to the Metal Museum, which will host a special event on March 23rd to display the transformed guns. Artisans will demonstrate techniques used in creating the objects.
“Gun owners may want to surrender guns for a range of reasons,” the church said in a news release. “The gun owner may have children or grandchildren in the home; a 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 accident; there may be conflict in a family or there may a family member with a serious illness.
“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.”
Details
What: Evergreen Presbyterian Church Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event
When: Saturday, February 24th, noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Presbyterian Place, 449 Patterson Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38111
