DETROIT – If you have an unwanted gun, there’s another way of getting rid of it besides a buyback program.
Just a few short minutes was all it took to destroy a revolver belonging to Rosetta McReynolds’ father. After his passing, it wound up in her brother’s possession.
The grandmother didn’t know what to do with it when she found in her brother’s belongings, but she knew she didn’t want anyone in her family to have it.
“I’m afraid of guns so I wanted to get rid of it,” McReynolds said. “I didn’t want to pass it down to my family because I think guns are not necessary.”
People stopped by the Church of the Messiah to hand over their unwanted guns Saturday. Event volunteers used high performance chop saws to destroy them before giving the guns back to the original owner. The pieces are then used to create art and jewelry.
“A lot of times you see gun buybacks but people don’t know what happened to the guns. Here the guns are destroyed on-site,” said Pastor Barry Randolph of Church of the Messiah
This transparency was important to organizers and supporters.
As one advocate said, this event was not merely a moment but a movement.
Following mass shootings, thoughts and prayers are usually covered especially by places of worship, Oakland County Commissioner Marcia Gershenson said.
“But then again, then people say, ‘We’re tired. We got your thoughts and prayers, thank you,’” she said. “We need you to do something.”
Inside the church parking lot, gun violence prevention supporters believe something is being done.
McReynolds said she’s leaving behind a different type of legacy to her son. She received a gift card and had the option to turn the broken pieces into either art or jewelry. The grandmother traded her parts for a cross necklace.
“I got the necklace that I’m going to pass on down to my son, this is what he can have,” she said. “Not the gun.”
This is the third of six similar plans slated for later this year. For a list of when and where, click here.