The Malheur "Occupiers" Meet The Definition of Domestic Terrorists, Seditionists, and Religious Militants, So Why Are They Being Tolerated?

Three days ago, armed men broke into and took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, but so far our government hasn't done a single thing about it.  I believe that part of the problem is the way these people are being referred to.

Writer Christian Drake said it best in the title of his Jan 3 article:  "Why the Hell Are Our News Media Whitewashing Domestic Terrorism in Oregon?"  Over and over I am seeing these militants referred to as "occupiers," "protesters," or "ranchers."  Some articles have called them "militia," at least, which is closer to the heart of the matter.

"We're not terrorists; we just want what any true
patriot wants: to take down the United States of America."
(from the New Yorker)

While it's true that they are occupying the buildings there, and some may be ranchers, make no mistake about it:  this is not just some sit-in protest, like the Occupy Movement, with citizens peacefully sitting or standing, unarmed, and waving signs.  If that were the case, I imagine this would be a whole different scene that garnered some public sympathy.  No, this is something much more ominous.  You don't show up with guns and promise violence if removed, and then claim you are just peaceful protesters who "are not looking to hurt anyone."  

These militia men easily fit the definition of terrorists in the U.S. Code:

"Domestic terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics:

• Involve acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;

• Appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping; and

• Occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S.

18 U.S.C. § 2332b defines the term "federal crime of terrorism" as an offense that:

• Is calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against government conduct; and

• Is a violation of one of several listed statutes, including § 930(c) (relating to killing or attempted killing during an attack on a federal facility with a dangerous weapon); and § 1114 (relating to killing or attempted killing of officers and employees of the U.S.).

These Bundy militia men arrived, armed, with the stated intention of killing or being killed and to have a violent conflict if law enforcement tried to remove them.  Just today, they tweeted "We have remained peaceful. If the authorities raid us unnecessarily we can't guarantee that continues. We are prepared to defend ourselves." (and then he had the gall to compare himself to Rosa Parks!).

They violated federal law by breaking in and occupying.  They have taken up armed strategic positions, including in a watch tower.  And their stated intention is to coerce the government into changing its policies and dissolving the entire wildlife refuge.  With all that in mind, they meet the criteria of "domestic terrorists."  If they fire a single shot, the self-defined "patriots" will also be committing a "federal crime of terrorism" and an act of insurrection.

The acts of these militia men also fit the definition of sedition, according to U.S. Code (highlighting added):

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both". 

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; July 24, 1956, ch. 678, § 1, 70 Stat. 623; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(N), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.) 

I would hardly call a seditious act representative of "patriots," would you?

Finally, the title of "militants" certainly applies, as well.  The term "militant" is defined as follows:

mil·i·tant / ˈmilətənt/• adj. combative and aggressive in support of a political or social cause, and typically favoring extreme, violent, or confrontational methods: an uprising by militant Islamic fundamentalists.• n. a person who is active in this way.

Given that they have shown up armed and willing to die and engage in violence if confronted, for their political cause, and are certainly confrontational, I'd say they fit this definition precisely.

Finally, they are religious extremists.  A number of these militants have stated that they have undertaken this occupation for religious reasons.  

It turns out that the Bundy family and many of their militia at the Malheur headquarters are adherents to a particularly extremist form of Mormonism.  One referred to himself as "Captain Moroni," a reference to a Mormon figure who specialized in weapons and battle strategy and who wanted to overthrow his government in the name of freedom.  From the article:

The man identifying as Captain Moroni said he was inspired by the call, and that the inspiration was validated by God in the form of a flock of geese he saw flying. 

I just knew it was the right thing [to come to Oregon]," Captain Moroni said. "I'm willing to die here."

The Bundy's had previously couched their prior standoff with the government in religious terms, and have continued to do so with this standoff.  Ryan Bundy has stated about his role in the Malheur takeover, "My Mormonism plays a large part in what I do … the biggest part.”  His brother, Ammon Bundy, has stated:

“I got this urge that I needed write something,” Bundy said. “I asked the good Lord…I need some help. And he gave me that help. The Lord is not pleased what has happened with the Hammonds.”

Ammon also stated in a YouTube call to arms, "I did exactly what the Lord asked me to do."  And further said in that video:

"I began to understand how the Lord felt about the Hammonds," Bundy says in the video. "I began to understand how the Lord felt about Harney County and about this country. And I clearly understood that the Lord was not pleased with what was happening to the Hammonds…. If we allowed the Hammonds to continue to be punished, there would be accountability."

I would like to ask him how, exactly, the Lord told him this.  Did he call him up on the phone?  A booming voice in his head?  A dream?  Or did he, like "Captain Moroni," read omens in the actions of geese?  It says a lot about Bundy's beliefs that he thinks God approves of arming yourself and preparing to kill police as part of a militant takeover of federal buildings.

The Mormon Church, by the way, has issued a statement condemning these extremists, stating:

While the disagreement occurring in Oregon about the use of federal lands is not a Church matter, Church leaders strongly condemn the armed seizure of the facility and are deeply troubled by the reports that those who have seized the facility suggest that they are doing so based on scriptural principles. This armed occupation can in no way be justified on a scriptural basis. We are privileged to live in a nation where conflicts with government or private groups can — and should — be settled using peaceful means, according to the laws of the land.

But apparently these "devout Mormons" prefer to ignore the statements of their own church leaders.  Thus they are extremists even by the definition of their own religious leaders.  A prominent Mormon writer and theologian agrees with those church leaders.

My understanding is that the United States Government does not negotiate or tolerate terrorists, domestic or foreign.  So why haven't they yet taken any action against these extremists??  People are still coming and going without being blocked, supplying these militants with food and supplies.  The militia is still in full contact with the press and the public and the internet.  And they still have electricity, water, and phones (though that may change soon).  As far as I can tell, the most the Government has done is "monitor" the situation and issue a statement by the District Attorney, as well as some statements against them by lawmakers.  At least the county sheriff has issued a statement urging the militia, in the nicest of terms, to please leave.  A call that has been roundly ignored.

These men said they were there for the Hammonds, until the Hammonds told them they weren't wanted.  Then the militia changed their story and said they would leave if the community wanted them to.  But they have ignored the very apparent calls from the community to leave.  Nearly a dozen schools in the area are closed for the entire week out of fear of these extremists.  You'd think that might be an obvious signal to them, certainly more obvious than reading the intentions of the Lord through flying geese.  So now they have changed their story again, saying that “The purpose of this whole thing is getting people excited. And (the people in Harney County) are excited that this is taking place" and to educate residents "so they'll come on to our side."  I don't think so.  It seems to me their only motive is to get attention in as dramatic style as possible, like some tantruming toddler, and to terrorize the nation.

The government's lack of action is only emboldening the militia at Malheur, as well as other militia groups, such as the one in Eugene that is distributing militant propaganda fliers.

And now these militia have brought children onto the compound!  Given that these militants have stated an intention to kill or be killed and to react violently if someone tries to remove them, I can only imagine that they are using these children as human shields.  Is this something our government should tolerate, as well??

So how do you label these people?  A poll by the Washington Post has 70% of responders labeling them as "terrorists" and "extremists."  So why don't our media and government?

The Bundy Militia has a long history of violence and intimidation.  It's long past time to stop tolerating these seditionists and criminals.  I urge our law enforcement to take immediate action.  Blockade the compound and stop anyone from going in to supply and enable these militants.  Cut off their electricity, water, and phone.  Stop giving them a podium to spew their extremist views.  And insist they give up peaceably and submit to arrest and trial.  These are domestic terrorists.  Treat them that way!



ADDENDUM:  A related article, by an international security analyst and military historian, Tom Mockaitis, disputing the term "militia" for these domestic terrorists.

Also, as demonstrated in an interview, Ammon Bundy doesn't even understand the definition of the word "terrorism" or how it applies to him and his actions.

Pro-Gun Militia Show Their True Criminal Colors In Armed Takeover Of Malheur Ranger Station

[This has also been reposted as an Opinion piece at Newsweek.com, HERE]

[UPDATED -- see at bottom]

A group of armed militia members, led by the criminal Bundy family, broke into and occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Ranger Station in southeast Oregon, near the little town of Burns.  They claim to do this in protest of two east Oregon ranchers who were found guilty of arson and sentenced to prison.

Image of occupiers near the Malheur ranger station
(image from witness Jason Wilson)

Yes, you read that correctly.  As is so typical of pro-gun extremists, they have shown their true colors and broken the law, breaking and entering into a federal property.  The Malheur ranger station was closed for the New Years holiday, so no one was there.  From an article:

Among the occupiers is Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, and two of his brothers. Militia members at the refuge claimed they had as many as 100 supporters with them. The refuge, federal property managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was closed and unoccupied for the holiday weekend. 

In phone interviews from inside the occupied building Saturday night, Ammon Bundy and his brother, Ryan Bundy, said they are not looking to hurt anyone. But they would not rule out violence if police tried to remove them, they said. 

"The facility has been the tool to do all the tyranny that has been placed upon the Hammonds," Ammon Bundy said. 

"We're planning on staying here for years, absolutely," he added. "This is not a decision we've made at the last minute." ....

"The best possible outcome is that the ranchers that have been kicked out of the area, then they will come back and reclaim their land, and the wildlife refuge will be shut down forever and the federal government will relinquish such control," he said. 

Birdwatchers enjoying the "tyranny"
of the Malheur Refuge (source)

They claim to have up to 150 in their group.  More likely it's just a dozen or so, according to one witness.  Their intent?  According to their own leaders, they intend to "provoke a standoff with the federal government" and to "lay my life down in order to fight tyranny."

Really?  Their chosen site for this "showdown" is a ranger station which spends the majority of its time protecting wetlands for migrating water fowl and restoring aquatic and forest lands.  Wow, these losers are really macho, aren't they?

And the only "tyranny" here is a bunch of armed now-felons terrorizing the local community.

But, hey, there is a long history of militia members and groups committing crimes and plots, including murder, insurrection, and even genocidal schemes.  So it's not like this is totally unexpected.  In most countries, "citizen militias" would be outlawed for what they are: homegrown terrorist organizations. This is just the latest and, perhaps, most flagrant of examples.

This occupation follows a peaceful parade by around 100 anti-government sympathizers earlier in the day in Burns, Oregon, organized by a small-time right-wing talk show host.  They met in a Safeway parking lot to do speeches, then marched a mile to the home of one of the convicted ranchers they support, and then drove to the local Sheriff's office to throw pennies at the building for some reason (which were quickly snatched up by a couple of girls), before returning to the Safeway parking lot.  But pro-gun bullies hate peaceful protests.  Successful peaceful protests run counter to their flawed argument that guns are needed to enact change.

The whole justification that these men have for their crime is supposedly to fight for the rights of the Hammond family and other local ranchers, according to the Bundy family blog.  Naturally, being felons themselves, they would support other convicted felons.  You see, the two Hammond men, Dwight Lincoln Hammond, 73, and his son, Steven Dwight Hammond, 46, were convicted of poaching and arson on federal land.  From the District Attorney's statement:

The jury convicted both of the Hammonds of using fire to destroy federal property for a 2001 arson known as the Hardie-Hammond Fire, located in the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area.  Witnesses at trial, including a relative of the Hammonds, testified the arson occurred shortly after Steven Hammond and his hunting party illegally slaughtered several deer on BLM property.  Jurors were told that Steven Hammond handed out “Strike Anywhere” matches with instructions that they be lit and dropped on the ground because they were going to “light up the whole country on fire.”  One witness testified that he barely escaped the eight to ten foot high flames caused by the arson.  The fire consumed 139 acres of public land and destroyed all evidence of the game violations.  After committing the arson, Steven Hammond called the BLM office in Burns, Oregon and claimed the fire was started on Hammond property to burn off invasive species and had inadvertently burned onto public lands.  Dwight and Steven Hammond told one of their relatives to keep his mouth shut and that nobody needed to know about the fire. 

The jury also convicted Steven Hammond of using fire to destroy federal property regarding a 2006 arson known as the Krumbo Butte Fire located in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Steen Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area.  An August lightning storm started numerous fires and a burn ban was in effect while BLM firefighters fought those fires.  Despite the ban, without permission or notification to BLM, Steven Hammond started several “back fires” in an attempt save the ranch’s winter feed.  The fires burned onto public land and were seen by BLM firefighters camped nearby.  The firefighters took steps to ensure their safety and reported the arsons.

And the Hammonds had initially served a small amount of time in prison for their crimes, not fulfilling the five-year minimum sentence required by law [Ruling].   So now they have been re-sentenced, and the jury was by peers from their area.  Did the Bundys or the militia care one iota about this case when it first happened?  Nope.  They didn't do a thing.  It's only now that they have a "call to action."

But here's the truly laughable part:  The Hammonds don't want the militia there!  They put out a statement, through their lawyer, publicly distancing themselves from the Bundy family and their actions, and that they are willingly submitting to the sentencing!

And many of the local community have come out in opposition to the militia activities.  According to one article:

Sign hung at a home in Burns, Oregon (source)

“I want them to go home,” resident Bee Bee Sitz said. “We take care of ourselves.” 

Another resident, Kainan Jordan, said, “I don’t think all of these outsiders coming here is necessary. I think they intimidate the local people.”

And locals have hung "Militia go home!" signs and "Go Home Bundys" signs around their neighborhoods.

From a CNN article:  

"I don't like the militia's methods," local resident Monica McCannon told KTVZ. "They had their rally. Now it's time for them to go home. People are afraid of them."

This plot is so ill-conceived and so specific to the Bundy schemes that even the Oathkeepers, a militia group that is typically in the center of most pro-gun and insurrectionist plots, such as their recent attempt to provoke a "war" with the government over a small gold mine in southwest Oregon, has distanced itself from the whole effort.  From a statement by their founder (emphasis included):

BECAUSE THE HAMMOND FAMILY DOES NOT WANT AN ARMED STAND OFF, AND THEY WISH TO TURN THEMSELVES IN, OATH KEEPERS WILL NOT TAKE PART IN ANY ATTEMPT TO CREATE A STAND OFF IN BURNS, OREGON. ....

[I]f they don’t want their family in the middle of an armed stand off and have decided it is best to just go back to prison, no patriot group or individual has the right or the authority to force an armed stand off on the Hammond family, or around them, against their wishes.  You cannot help someone who does not want your help, and who are not willing and ready to take a hard stand themselves. ....

This org cannot and will not force itself on a family who does not want the help. 

I can't imagine a more pitiful example of a "revolution" than this.  Not only do the Hammonds and the community not want the militia there, but the crime is taking place in one of the most remote and sparsely-populated areas of Oregon, at a time of year when no one goes there, and in a month when the temperatures are at the lowest.  At the time I'm writing this, it is -1 degrees Fahrenheit.  Good luck staying warm, felons, particularly after your electricity is cut and any fuel for your generators (if you have any) runs out.

It'll be interesting to see how law enforcement and the government respond to this situation in the coming days.  The insurrectionists and Bundy family are clearly wanting a shoot-out to occur, a la Ruby Ridge, making them some sort of "martyr" to their extremist cause.  But I'm guessing that, if they don't fire first, they are more likely to be surrounded in a siege until they either give up or they freeze to death.  Assuming they survive, it is comforting to know that their new felon status will prevent them from legally purchasing or possessing firearms.

I'll try to keep you updated as events proceed.....

UPDATE (1/3/16):  One of the Bundy sons who is there, Ryan Bundy, says he is "willing to kill or be killed" in defense of the occupation.  In response, out of concern for the safety of children, the local schools will be closed for at least the next week.

Also, from a related article from Esquire, entitled "What's happening in Oregon is nothing more than armed sedition," the writer calls out the actions of these out-of-state militia extremists for what they are:

This is an act of armed sedition against lawful authority. That is all that it is, and that is quite enough. This is not "an expression of anti-government sentiment." .... 

These are men with guns who have declared themselves outside the law. These are men with guns who have taken something that belongs to all of us. These are traitors and thieves who got away with this dangerous nonsense once, and have been encouraged to get away with it again, and they draw their inspiration not solely from the wilder fringes of our politics, either. Ammon Bundy and his brothers should have been thrown in jail after they gathered themselves in rebellion the first time.

.

A Gun Violence Review of 2015

2015 was another bloody year for America.  And, once again, our federal lawmakers have done nothing at all to staunch the flow of blood.  It is shameful.

On Christmas Day alone, there were at least 27 Americans shot and killed and 63 were wounded, according to the Washington Post:

The number of Americans killed in gun homicides on Christmas Day is comparable to the number of people killed in gun homicides in an entire year in places like Australia or Britain. The 27 people killed by guns in America on Christmas this year is equal to the total number of people killed in gun homicides in an entire year in Austria, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Estonia, Bermuda, Hong Kong and Iceland, combined.

And, as pointed out by my blogging friend over at Common Gunsense, there were at least three murder/suicide shootings.

It's total insanity.  It's unacceptable.

Mass shootings of four or more people continue to increase.  The Reddit Mass Shooting Tracker has tracked at least 372 this year, as of this posting.  That's more than one a day in American!  Is this the America we wish to see??

You can see each and every one of them at the Mass Shootings Tracker page from the Gun Violence Archive site, where you can also find the map I posted here.

And it's no coincidence that gun sales are increasing as well.  I've posted before about how the increase in gun sales mirrors an increase in active shooter events.  As VOX has reported, 2015 promises to be a record year in gun sales.  And I've certainly noticed an uptick in shootings of all types.

One of those horrific mass shootings was, as you know, here in Oregon, at Umpqua Community College, with nine people killed and up to nine injured before the shooter killed himself.

The Trace has posted an article listing the 10 Americans Who Changed the Gun Debate in 2015, including a researcher, a conceal carry permit holder at the Umpqua shooting, a hunter fed up with the NRA, a mother of a shooting victim, a politician, a policy adviser, a lawyer on a landmark case, and others.

The Trace also posted some of the Most Powerful Sentences About Gun Violence published this year.  One of my favorites, by writer Dylan Matthews, regarding how some Conservatives don't want to "count" suicides in gun death data: 

Obviously there's tremendous variation in particular people's ethical frameworks, but where I come from, a death is a death.

Looking back over the year, I have to say that 2015 is the tipping point.  Momentum has built.  The public wants change like never before.  Sandy Hook was a wake-up call, and since then everyone is noticing the increase in mass shootings as, one after another, the horror passes from one location to another as the days pass.  More and more organizations are forming to keep up with the demand of people wanting to help with the change.  More voices are calling for reasonable gun violence prevention laws.

And Oregon is no exception.  This year Ceasefire Oregon and the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety, working with responsible legislators, passed and enacted a universal background check bill in Oregon, SB 941.  Now gun sellers have no excuses for selling guns to prohibited people, and those people are more likely to get caught.  Oregon passed a bill to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, SB 525.  And SB 385 also passed, allowing judges to prohibit guns being carried into courtrooms.  These bills "provided a beacon of hope for gun reform momentum."

Given that 40% of guns used in crimes come from private transfer, I think we should see a real change in the level of shootings here in Oregon in 2016 and beyond.

Pro-gun forces attempted, in a childish and vengeful abuse of the system, to recall four of the state legislators who sponsored SB 941.  All of those efforts failed miserably.  And over and over again, those forces supported pro-criminal efforts to "subvert" the system, and continue to call for their supporters to "defy" the laws on the books.  Clearly, we must continue our efforts to protect Oregonians against these pro-criminal, pro-gun forces and keep guns out of the wrong hands.

Ceasefire Oregon's Central Coast chapter has been very active, too, including a gun turn-in that brought in 138 unwanted but operational guns and 95 high-capacity ammo magazines.

What will 2016 bring?  On a national level, I expect to see a continued increase in grass-roots efforts to pass reasonable gun regulation laws.  If our stubborn and pro-gun lawmakers don't follow, we will vote them out!

As for Ceasefire Oregon, we have a plan to reduce gun violence by 30-50% in the next five years.  But your help is needed.  Together, we can find a new trajectory for our communities away from gun violence.  Let's make it a New Year's resolution!


ADDENDUM (1/1/16): A related article by the Washington Post:  "2015 was a grim year for American gun violence."

Happy Holidays, and Peace on Earth

Thank you, to all of you who work so hard to reduce gun violence, and to those who read this blog.  2015 has been a very successful year for commonsense gun regulation in Oregon, thanks to you, but we still have so much to accomplish.

Let's continue to work together to make a new trajectory for our communities away from gun violence.

Happy Holidays, and may you and your loved ones have a healthy and peaceful new year.

If Only He'd Had A Gun To Defend Himself. Oh, Wait... (Deli Conceal Carry Robbery)

Many, many times I have blogged here with examples of "good guys with guns" who, despite having loaded guns readily available to them, they were nonetheless victims of shootings or even had their own guns turned against them.

And the gun lobbies love to push the idea that, if only a citizen had a loaded gun concealed on them,

The robber, armed with the victim's concealed handgun,
struggles with the victim (in green) (source)

they would be safe against criminals. Worse, even, that they could become heroes, gunning down the bad guys and robbers, vigilante-style (as some extremist lawmakers have suggested).

Well, here's a good example of how that mentality can go wrong.  A patron (in the green shirt) was in a Philadelphia deli when a man came up behind him and tried to rob him.  The robber was unarmed.  A fight ensued.  During the fight, a loaded, holstered handgun fell out of the victim's clothing.  It turns out the victim had a conceal carry permit and was carrying.  

From an article with news video:

Surveillance cameras captured the customer, who was armed and licensed to carry, fight off the robber. As the two men fought, the customer's gun fell from his hip. The two men then struggled over the gun until the robber was able to gain control. Police say he then fired one shot that narrowly missed the customer and struck the ceiling vent. The customer then chased the robber out of the store. The robber managed to escape however. 

The victim is lucky the robber missed.  And that the robber didn't try to shoot at him again after the victim chased the shooter.  But the point is clear.  Carrying the gun didn't stop any crime, and it almost cost him his life.

[this post is part of an ongoing series of people being shot to death despite being armed (and sometimes because they are armed)]

If Only He'd Had A Gun To Defend Himself. Oh, Wait.... (Friend To The Rescue)

A man in Portland, Oregon, was being attacked and was stabbed by the attackers.

That's when the man's friend showed up with a gun, which he fired to "scare the attackers."

It didn't work.  Instead, the attackers fought the man and took the gun away from him.  As they fled, they fired back at him with the gun they'd just taken.  Luckily they missed.

Now another gun is in the hands of criminals.

[this post is part of an ongoing series of people being shot to death or attacked despite being armed (and sometimes because they are armed)]

What To Do With Melted-Down And Destroyed Guns

Every year, Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation (COEF) sponsors gun turn-in events in Oregon.  In return for gift certificates for area supermarkets, people who have unwanted guns turn them in to the local police at the event, able to rid their homes of dangerous lethal weapons and walk away with the ability to purchase food and materials to help them live.  It is an event mirrored in more and more cities across the nation as people realize the dangers of guns in the home.  The guns are handed directly to police.

Since the inception of our gun turn-in events in 1994, COEF has eliminated nearly 8500 firearms off the streets and out of the homes of our state!

Guns being melted down into rebar (source)

Why would people turn in guns?  Some of the guns are old and corroded, dangerous to operate.  Some are from homes that have recently given birth to children and the family realizes the danger of having curious small children around firearms.  Some are from widows whose husbands had been gun owners and who have no interest or ability to shoot them.  And some are from homes with suicidal or otherwise dangerous individuals.  Some of these guns are kept out of the hands of criminals, with resulting declines of gun crimes afterward.  Can any reasonable person argue against these very sensible reasons?

But naturally, the gun fetishists picket the turn-in events, unable to accept that the reasons given above are reasonable.  They harass those who come to the event, harass those of us who help with the event, and even harass the police officers.  They even try to buy the guns off of those who come to turn them in, paying cash at the gate, though, thanks to the recently-enacted Senate Bill 941, they can no longer do so unless the seller and buyer go together to a firearms dealer to perform a background check.  Here's an example video, filmed by the gun guys themselves, showing these gun extremists literally waving cash around and harassing gun violence prevention advocates at an Oregon gun turn-in.

But what really makes the gun guys' heads explode is what becomes of their fetish items after they are turned in to the police.  The guns are cut up and melted down.

The same is true, also, for guns confiscated from criminals, after they have been used as evidence, by law enforcement.

What do you do the resulting metal?

In the majority, most of these cases see the metal go into very utilitarian uses.  This year in Los Angeles, for instance, the metal from  3400 guns that had been confiscated in crimes went into making rebar for construction of freeway bridges (see image to the right).  In 22 years of this event, 180,000 guns have wound up this way!  Another event in Seattle also turned them into rebar.

Other events have the guns turned into manhole covers, such as this one in Boston.  It gives me great pleasure to think that hundreds of guns were melted down to cover sewers!

In a turn-in in Cleveland, hundreds of guns were melted down to be used in the manufacture of cars, household appliances, and other consumer goods.

Guns being melted down in Clevelant (source)

And in the spirit of beating swords into plowshares, a group in Philadelphia has been turning assault rifles into garden tools.  And a Mexican artist has been melting down 1527 guns into 1527 shovel heads to plant trees.

In Virginia beach, guns were melted down and formed into paperweights.

One city in Delaware used to melt the guns and other weapons down and make nails, but now they are used to produce electricity.




But not all of these guns have been turned into utilitarian items.  Some have been turned into artistic statements against gun violence.

Ammo and gun parts melted to form bracelets like on the right (source)

Jewelry is a popular result.  This New York artist turns assault rifles and ammo into bracelets, each one bearing the serial number of one of the guns used to make it, the proceeds from the sales of which are used to fund gun violence prevention efforts.

And these beautiful torc bracelets are also created out of illegal guns and ammo, also helping to fund gun violence prevention efforts, through Armani.

Newark, New Jersey, also had guns melted down into jewelry by a designer, who called it the "Caliber Collection."  An offshoot from that project attracted the rap singer Snoop Dogg to release his own line of melted-gun jewelry.  The city of Chicago also made jewelry.

Sculpture isn't unheard of.  In Colorado, high school students are using gun metal to form inspirational statues dedicated to shooting victims.  From an article:

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office donated surrendered guns, teaching the students how to disarm them and supervising the sawing of the guns so they no longer functioned. Sculptor Jessica Adams is guiding the students as they use the melted gun metal to create a sculpture out of 12,400 rods, one for each gun victim in 2013, with longer rods for younger victims, symbolizing the length of the lives they were not able to live.  

"Peace Angel"

Sheila Dierks, a priest at the Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Church who is volunteering with the project said, “By transforming these guns into art, we’re giving less power to the gun and more to the power of change we hope to see.”

In New York City, 946 confiscated guns were turned into a 5 foot tall "peace angel" statue.  Other, larger, "peace angel" statues made out of gun metal will also be placed around New York in the future, including at the 9/11 memorial.

Here are examples from around the world of sculptures made of destroyed guns.  Here are some other sculptures made of destroyed guns by an artist, and here is a Pinterest gallery of many other works of art made from destroyed guns.

Finally, in perhaps the most creative way to use destroyed guns, an artist has turned them into musical instruments of many different kinds, including xylophone, electric guitar, flute, and others.

Here is a video of the artist and his musical instruments:



Whatever the usage, whether an artistic creation or just a paperweight, any of these ends are better than having the gun intact.  The best type of gun is a destroyed gun.


UPDATE (7/27/16):  HERE is another example, where the city of Los Angeles had its 23rd "gun melt" event, this time melting down 7000 guns (nearly 10 tons!) to make rebar to reinforce roads and bridges.