ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — At an Asheville City Council meeting earlier this month, June 2026 was proclaimed National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Next week, the nonprofit RAWtools South will host a “gun disposal” event, encouraging the public to bring unloaded guns that will be deconstructed and transformed into garden tools and yard art.

During the city council meeting, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said that “in 2024, approximately 44,000 people in the United States died from gun-related injuries, including firearm homicides and firearm suicides,” and that between 2025 and 2025, “the city of Asheville experienced an annual average of seven firearm-related homicides, 100 aggravated assaults involving a firearm and 456 gun discharge calls for service.”

Manheimer said that calling awareness to gun violence requires a coordinated effort between the public and community organizations. That is the basis of the RAWtools event, the fourth Guns to Garden Tools, which will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 27, at the First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St.

What to expect at Guns to Garden Tools

RAWtools invites “anyone” to bring unwanted, unloaded and working guns to the event, where the firearms will be dismantled by trained volunteers and handed over to RAWtools blacksmiths, who will transform them into garden tools or pieces of artwork.

Those who donate their guns are assured anonymity and a “gift card to local groceries or home improvement stores,” RAWTools said in a press release.

The event will be organized as a drive-thru. Donors should bring their unwanted, unloaded firearm locked in the trunk of their car or a secure container. For maximum safety, only registered gun owners and RAWtools volunteers will be allowed on the property during the drop-off window.

After the drop-off, an evening vigil will be held at 5 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 587 Haywood Road, followed by a community meal.

RAWtools emphasized that there are many reasons why guns may be unwanted, including “children or vulnerable adults in the house, owners [who] may no longer be able to safely handle weapons, guns [that] may have been used unintentionally or for harm [or] there may be a family member with serious illness.”

For more information about RAWtools South and the wider RAWtools network, visit south.rawtools.org.