Saturday afternoon at The Justice Conference, we transformed a semi-automatic weapon into garden tools. Watch it happen:
Our Mennonite blacksmith friends, Mike and Fred, have been inspired by the “beat your swords into plows… and study war no more” vision of the prophets Micah and Isaiah. After 9/11 they heard that some of the metal from the twin towers was recycled and used for a warship. After hearing of that, they caught the vision for RAWtools, Inc.(turning “war” around and cultivating life instead of death) – check them out: www.rawtools.org
Also by Shane: A Dialogue on What It Means to Be Pro-Life
Now they have invited folks around the country to donate their weapons. From each semi-automatic, they can make several garden tools – which will actually be fully functional and ready for use (not just to hang on the wall). They promised us a trowel and shovel made from the AK 47 we transformed today, which we can’t wait to use in the Potter Street gardens.
The AK47 we converted was fully functional and able to shoot or kill, and the owner wanted to end the patterns of gun violence haunting our country… so he donated it. We are excited to see this gun turned into farm tools, and are we can’t wait for many more weapon-conversions in the days to come. Let’s beat the tools of death into tools of life.
“My people will beat their swords into plows… and study war no more.” –Isaiah 2
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Shane Claiborne is a prominent author, speaker, activist, and founding member of the Simple Way. He is one of the compilers of Common Prayer, a new resource to unite people in prayer and action. Shane is also helping develop a network called Friends Without Borders which creates opportunities for folks to come together and work together for justice from around the world. His most recent book is Red Letter Revolution, which he co-authored with Tony Campolo.