Safe Gun Disposal Event from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Disarming Hearts: A Vigil of Remembrance at 4:00 p.m. (onsite and online)
Both events will take place at Umstead Park UCC, 8208 Brownleigh Dr, Raleigh, NC. The vigil will also be on Zoom.
Volunteer
Volunteer to help make a difference! We need a wide variety of volunteers. Review volunteer positions and sign up now!
If you have volunteered (or would like to!) to bring food and or drinks for the Guns to Gardens volunteers on June 13th, please sign-up here.
Give
Financial contributions are welcome here (Select ‘Guns to Gardens’ from the fund dropdown menu and write ‘Guns to Gardens’ in the memo line)
The Event
Umstead Park UCC is partnering with RAWTools South and other local communities of faith to offer a Guns to Gardens Safe Disposal Event on June 13, 2026. The event provides a safe way for people to dispose of unwanted firearms. Participation is voluntary, free, anonymous, and open to all gun owners. Firearms are collected, and, on the spot, chopped up to be turned into garden tools, garden art, and jewelry.
The process of turning weapons into tools is deeply symbolic, representing a shift from violence to growth, from destruction to creation and from harm to healing. The program draws inspiration from the biblical passage Isaiah 2:4, which speaks of beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, signifying a transformation from warfare to agriculture.
Surrender a Firearm
Gun owners interested in disposing of their guns should arrive at the event any time on June 13 between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. with their unloaded firearms stored in the trunks or backs of their vehicles. A volunteer will meet each car at the entrance to the event and participants will stay in their cars while guns are dismantled by trained safety specialists.
While supplies last, gift cards of up to $200 will be offered as a “thank you” to those who dispose of their guns at the event.
Why This Is Important
With over 400 million guns in American homes, many of these are unwanted for a number of reasons. For instance, there may be vulnerable children or adults in the home, owners have inherited the guns but aren’t comfortable with them, or someone has already been harmed by the gun. As faith communities, we can help dispose of these guns and make a difference in preventing more unnecessary gun violence or even death.
Attend the Closing Vigil
Join us for Disarming Hearts: A Vigil of Remembrance at 4:00 p.m. on June 13 onsite and online. This service of prayers, songs and readings, is for survivors of gun violence (including those impacted in any way by trauma from gun violence) and for all who care about gun violence prevention. All ages are welcome. The vigil will include a forge where those who choose may hammer dismantled gun parts to help turn them into garden tools, making an instrument that could do harm into a tool that can sustain life.
Thank You to Our Partners!
Beth Meyer Synagogue, Windborne United Methodist Church, Church of the Nativity, Community United Church of Christ, Pullen Memorial Baptist Mission and Outreach Council, The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh.
Guns to Gardens Event Flyers for June 13
Please spread the word about both events! Print here:
Disarming Hearts: A Vigil of Remembrance
Stories of Interest
Take a moment to listen, watch and learn more!
RAWtools South (the group partnering with us on the Guns to Gardens Safe Disposal Event and Disarming Hearts: A Vigil of Remembrance) recently was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. Click here to listen to the 4-minute audio story.
