Guns to Gardens

The First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake, in partnership with Ridgefield Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church, will offer a gun safe-surrender event on Saturday, November 4 from 9am – 12pm in the church parking lot at 461 Pierson Street.

“Anyone may bring unwanted and unloaded firearms to be dismantled and later made into garden tools,” said Pastor Emily Davis. “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 unwanted firearms. The garden tool transformation echoes the biblical vision of a people who ‘beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruninghooks.’ Together, we hope to reduce the harm of suicide, injuries, accidents, and other gun violence in our local community.”

For the Nov. 4 drive-through event, unloaded guns should be placed in the back seat of a car, trunk, or the rear of a van. 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. Guns must be unloaded, and ammunition is not accepted.

With over 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 accident; there may be conflict in a family or there may be a family member with a serious illness. Whatever the reason, Guns to Gardens provides a way to dispose of unwanted guns without returning them to the marketplace, thereby ensuring they cannot be used for future harm.

Over 43,000 Americans die every year from gun violence. Approximately 60% of 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.

This event will be held rain or shine