Littleton church partners with group to buy guns from Coloradans and convert them to garden tools

With gun violence continuing to be a major issue in the Denver metro area, a church in Littleton is preparing to host a unique event aimed at collecting unwanted firearms and repurposing them into tools that cultivate life. 

For more than a decade now, Mike Martin has been on a mission to make garden tools out of guns. It's an effort he started after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. 

Now, his Colorado Springs-based non-profit, RAWtools, is both a labor of love and expression of his Mennonite faith. He's also a former pastor.

"There's a scripture that talks about turning your swords into plowshares, spears into printing hooks and not training for war anymore," Martin said. "Our mission statement is to disarm hearts, forge peace and cultivate justice."

Martin says the idea is to get guns away from people who don't want them anymore. Often that includes widowers or people who've lost loved ones to gun violence or suicide. 

"This is something that is accessible to all of us," Martin said. "We can take things, objects, tools that have hurt and are continuing to hurt our communities and turn them into something that will cultivate life." 

This Saturday, Martin will partner with Columbine United Church in Littleton for his latest drive-thru gun buyback event. People who turn in firearms will receive grocery store gift cards in return.

Sellers can get "$50 for a single shot long gun, including double barrel shotguns, $100 for handguns or semi-automatic rifles and $200 for assault-style rifles," Martin said.  

A gun-owner himself, Rev. Steve Poos-Benson said he jumped at the opportunity and hopes more churches do the same. 

"I think if you're looking for a way to respond to the gun violence in our community and our nation, this is the way to do it," Poos-Benson said.

This weekend, Martin expects to collect at least 50 guns, which will later be broken down to their raw materials and re-purposed by volunteers. Typically, they can make anywhere from 3 to 6 garden shovels or multi-purpose tools, depending on the length of the gun barrel.  

In the end, RAWtools will give the new tools to the non-profit, Denver Urban Gardens.  

"Taking something that brings death and turning it into something that brings life allows us to count the pounds of food were growing instead of the bullets that are hitting our neighbors and friends," he said.  

The Gardens to Guns buyback event will happen in the parking lot of Columbine United Church between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25. The church is located at 6375 S. Platte Canyon Rd. Littleton, CO.