Dozens surrender unwanted guns at Memphis church in name of art, garden tools
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Finding new use for guns kept volunteers busy on Saturday at Presbyterian Place near the University of Memphis.
Guns collected will no longer be able to fire bullets anymore but will still have power.
Volunteers were busy grinding away Saturday morning as the line of people who wanted to surrender guns waited.
Many people told FOX13 that they just got tired of having a gun they weren’t using laying around the house.
Permilla Pamplin said that she surrendered a gun belonging to a family member who she says didn’t need to be around a gun.
“I wanted to get rid of it because I didn’t want nobody getting hurt,” Pamplin said. “And he don’t need it because he doing things you ain’t supposed to be doing with guns.”
Guns to Gardens is a nationwide campaign to end gun violence.
The mission is to take unwanted guns apart and turn them into art pieces and garden tools.
Evergreen Presbyterian Church hosted the event and gave people Kroger gift cards for their guns.
FOX13 counted more than 20 guns within the first 20 minutes of the event starting.
From semi automatic handguns to rifles and even shotguns.
“I didn’t know why people would want to donate guns but reading all of their material,” David Powers said. “There are a lot of reasons one should engage and be a part of their work.”
None of the volunteers asked questions about the guns before they accepted them.
Many people felt more people could trust this event opposed to a Memphis Police Department gun buyback.
“It’s important work for our city and biblical mandate,” Powers said.
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