FREMONT - A gun safety and gun violence prevention event will be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. June 8. It will be the second year locally for Guns to Gardens at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 206 North Park Ave.
The event will feature a three-hour Gun Buyback for cash opportunity that allows people to anonymously turn in unwanted firearms to decrease the possibility of gun violence, according to a press release.
It also will feature blacksmithing, crafts for kids, live music by Jamey Leigh Music and Clay Kirchenbauer and a food vendor. Community organizations will be present with booths focusing on gun safety, gardening and support services.
Cash payments vary from $50 to $250 per gun
The Gun Buyback will be at the side alley of the church, off Park Avenue. Donors of guns need to arrive at the side alley by 1 p.m., with unloaded guns in the trunks of their cars.
Fremont City Police officers will identify the type of each gun to determine the cash value of the parts. Single and double shot handguns can be turned in for $50; rifles and shotguns, $100; pistols and revolvers, $150; semi-automatic rifles, $250; and other non-working guns, $25.
After ensuring the guns are unloaded, officers will identify the type of each one. Once the guns are taken apart and disabled by chop saw operator Nick Wasserman, the parts will be returned to the owners who can trade them in for cash.
The gun parts will be melted and forged into gardening tools by Toledo blacksmiths Carolyn Powers and Ken Glass.
The event stems from the idea in the Bible (Isaiah 2:4) that speaks of an end to war by forging swords into gardening tools. There will be an forge demonstration to show how gun parts can be re-purposed in this way.
A prayer vigil will be held at 11 a.m.
Last year the event took eight firearms from donators to be made into gardening tools.
Orange stick-on ribbons were worn and passed out to support a stand against gun violence. The color has been chosen due to the wearing of orange by hunters to differentiate them from the intended animal targets.
The News-Messenger/News Herald
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