Guns into Gardening Tools: Norwalk CT Buyback

Gun violence is up horribly in many places during the pandemic, including in CT. This is a Gun Buyback project that will get more guns off the street and out of homes where they are no longer wanted. We will actually transform the turned-in guns into garden tools! Would you support us now so we can launch this unique "Gun Buyback Day" in Norwalk, Connecticut? We are the Wilton Quaker Meeting.

We will use a forge to transform the gun and rifle parts into gardening tools! That's as close as you can get to "Swords into Plowshares!" We think this is inspiring and symbolic to transform a weapon of death into a tool of life. It will also symbolize the transformation that is possible if Americans step back from the heated gun debate and try to listen to each other. The forging work is led by Guns to Plowshares Northeast.

We have done the planning work with the Norwalk CT Police Department and the Mayor's office. We are working with the Newtown Action Alliance Foundation who is coordinating the statewide effort and will help us manage our buyback’s funds through their 501c3. We are ready to go on Saturday, October 16, BUT we need the funding for the actual buyback. We estimate $5000 is needed to purchase gift cards for groceries in amounts between $25 and $200 depending on the type of gun turned in. And if we have a huge response from gun owners, we will need even more.

Why do a gun buyback? Our urban communities are plagued with the presence of too many guns. Gun violence claims more than 38,000 lives in the USA each year. Guns stolen from homes and autos often turn up in crime situations. And the more than 20,000 gun-related suicides each year would be cut significantly if guns were not available at a moment of desperation in someone's life.

On the same day at least 5 other CT cities will do a similar event. This is being coordinated by the Newtown Action alliance Foundation to make all of CT safer. We will also be giving away a limited number of gun safes that day! This statewide effort is called The Connecticut Gun Buyback and Gun Safe Giveaway Event.

Who are we? We are several people from the Wilton CT Quaker Meeting, working with people from the Newtown Foundation and Swords to Plowshares Northeast

Want to turn in a gun? You do not have to be from Norwalk but just to bring the weapon to the Norwalk police headquarters on October 16th. But first we need the funding!

More information about us:

- Wilton Quaker Meeting holds "unprogrammed" Quaker meetings for worship each Sunday at 10:00 am. We are at 317 New Canaan Rd in Wilton, CT. We are quietly waiting for you. More: https://www.fgcquaker.org/cloud/wilton-quaker-meeting

The Newtown Action Alliance Foundation: To provide comfort, education, scholarship and other support and resources to people and communities impacted by the epidemic level of violence in American society in order to help them lead the way toward positive cultural change over the long term. The Newtown Foundation is a Newtown-based, all volunteer, organization working tirelessly since the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy to help our community heal and be remembered as the place where positive cultural changes began. Led by some of the same people who lead the Newtown Action Alliance, The Foundation is not involved in any legislative or electoral activities. Instead it is focused on educational, healing and cultural programs that inspire and empower youth and victims to transform tragedy into positive change.