Guns to Gardens brings new meaning to the word growth through a program that transforms firearms into garden tools.
Allisonville Christian Church is hosting an event that brings the nationwide community-led initiative to Indianapolis. The program is rooted in faith and enables communities to safely dispose of firearms.
The event allows gun owners to surrender their weapons. Once a professional checks that the weapon is unloaded, it will be dismantled.The weapon is then taken apart and a blacksmith the gunmetal into gardening tools. If you decline the service, the scraps will be destroyed or used to make art.
According to a Guns to Gardens group located in the Pacific Northwest, the initiative is rooted in the biblical verse Isaiah 2:4: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
According to Rev. Beau Underwood, Senior Pastor at Allisonville Christian Church, God’s teachings go hand in hand with preventing violence.
“There's… logistics of the gun turn-in that's going on. But there's also this kind of religious ritual happening where we are showing the world, kind of who we are and what we believe. And we're really excited about that piece of it as well,” said Underwood
Firearm injuries are among the leading causes of injury death in Indiana, according to the Indiana Department of Health. The CDC’s last finalized data set showed 1,258 deaths in 2023.
“We often think about gun violence as a problem that doesn't affect us or the people we know,” Underwood said. “Unfortunately, there are just so many stories and so many tragedies of lives and families being ruined by gun violence.”
Outreach co-chair Rev. Kris Eggert has participated in several Guns to Gardens events. Eggert believes the opportunity brings gun owners and activists together for a common cause.
“Any gun that is turned in and is cut and melted down is a gun that will never again hurt anyone,” Eggert said. “It will never be stolen. It will never be accidentally discharged. It will never be used in a suicide. It will never hurt a child.”
The event will be held on September 19 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Allisonville Christian Church. Participants should ensure all firearms arrive unloaded and stored in the trunk or cargo area of a vehicle upon arrival.
Contact WFYI reporting intern Chloe White at cwhite@wfyi.org
