6 years ago RAWtools, Inc. didn’t exist. And then tragedy struck in Newtown, CT at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Thoughts and prayers about RAWtools existed. But not action. The following February we officially launched when a local resident, also moved by the tragedy, decided his AK-47 was useless. So we cut it up and made garden tools out of it. Others started to join in. People sent us their disabled guns from all over the country. Did you know... Read more
by Laurie Works @healingembodied on Instagram LaurieWorks.com In our work as humans, activists, and purveyors of nonviolence in our communities, it’s so easy to get caught up in the work. The work is important, vital, necessary. It can start to feel heavy and overwhelming, as if it all falls on us, as if we must get the next thing done and -save the world-. We forget sometimes that nonviolence begins with us. It is an act of... Read more
by Joel Shenk – Pastor of Toledo Mennonite Church I’ve been thinking a lot about the significance of tools. There is a quote that says, “We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.” This quote is often attributed to media theorist Marsh McLuhan. It was actually stated by Father John Culkin, a Catholic priest, professor of communication, and friend of McLuhan’s. It is a profound theological statement if you think about it. Human... Read more
From Ryan, a recent gun donor: This Winchester Model 61, a slide-action .22 caliber rifle, was passed to me by my father, after being passed to him by his father. All three of us Nazarene ministers. All three of us captured by the teachings of Christ, seeking to follow him. I grew up in a gun-owning family culture, where hunting, and gun safety, and target shooting was normal. I received my first guns in early adolescence, instilled with a sense... Read more
Many folks are wearing orange today, June 1st, and gathering together over the weekend for Wear Orange Weekend for gun violence awareness. It’s one of many forms you can take action on to show solidarity in your community. Orange was chosen because it’s the color hunters wear to protect them against other hunters. June 1st and the month of June were chosen because it’s the birth month of Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed just one week after performing... Read more
It feels like a transfer of power is happening. An older generation is giving way to new generation. Youth familiar with school shooting drills are able to vote. High-school graduates are holding baby boomers to account for the America they are inheriting. Has America ignored their parents? Parents who lost kids in these shootings? And not just mass shootings, but also teen suicide? How has the structure of America allowed this to happen? RAWtools just got back from an event... Read more
Below is a story submitted by James. We asked James to tell his story about his journey from military veteran to donating his guns to RAWtools. Trigger Warning: suicide, combat Our AK-47 gun donor had @preemptivelove shirt on. Perfect. His gun will be a garden tool in 5 hours. @JCourt #SwordsToPlows pic.twitter.com/Rg3EIu6g0y — RAWtools (@RAWtools) March 10, 2017 Radical Red Letters – My Journey from Soldier to Pacifist Those red letters. Those inconvenient, beautiful, challenging, and freeing red letters... Read more
RAWtools runs into a lot of creative folks in our work of turning swords into plowshares. One of the most creative is Lead to Life. Led by Brontë Velez and Kyle Lemle, Lead to Life is described as a “people’s alchemy for regeneration.” They take tools made from guns by various artists and metal smiths and use them in ceremonial tree plantings. We sent them some tools for events they are hosting this week in partnership with the King Center... Read more
As a Christian faith based organization, we at RAWtools have a lot of conversations on what the Bible says about guns. But really, swords. Most have heard of the call of Micah and Isaiah to turn swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. It’s expected that dialogue is driven to use Luke 22:36 in defense of owning a gun. So let’s talk about this on the eve of Maundy Thursday, when we remember the last supper-but also what happened in... Read more
To those who say its a heart problem…. You take a complex issue and simplify it. You turn gun “control” into the inability to own a gun at the expense of having the ability to own any type of gun and its variations. As much as you can modify your AR-15 with accessories and still have an AR-15, you can modify the responsibility of gun ownership and still own a gun. Background checks do nothing to hurt responsible gun owners. ... Read more
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