Unwanted guns are getting a new life as gardening tools that can give back to the community.
The weapons were collected by police and Yale-New Haven Hospital over several years at gun buyback events.
“We are the major level one trauma center in the southern part of Connecticut. We know first-hand the devastation that gun violence can cause,” Dr. Pina Violano, Yale-New Haven Hospital.
The guns were cut into pieces after they were collected. The metal fragments are then thrown into the fire, and under the watchful eye of a blacksmith, are pounded and reshaped by inmates.
“We believe that this is a unique program, that paves the way for other communities to do the same,” Herb Johnson said, Assistant Chief of New Haven Police.
The program is called Swords into Plowshares.
“Every tool that we make get the number on the bottom of it so you can track it to see the story of where came from,” said Mike Martin, Executive Director of RAWtools.
Local
Come spring, the tools will be donated to New Haven Public Schools and used to support agricultural programs.
“The vegetables will be harvested will be donated to homeless shelters and soup kitchens,” Steve Yanovsky from the Newtown Action Alliance said. “So we will literally have taken a weapon of death, and turned it into an instrument of life.”
