Activist trying to make streets safer by forging guns into jewelry, art and tools

By Wakisha Bailey

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — At a Philadelphia workshop, guns are taken off the streets and transformed into works of art and everyday items with a powerful message.

Shane Claiborne, a Tennessee native, grew up around guns. But when he moved to North Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, he saw too many lives lost to gun violence.

He felt he had to do something, so two years ago Claiborne opened RAWtools Philadelphia.

“My philosophy is any gun we can chop up makes the world a little safer,” he said.

“It’s mindboggling what people have,” Claiborne said of the weapons collected by the shop. “We’ve had grenade launchers, Uzis, weapons of war.”

A lifelong activist, Claiborne has been to warzones to advocate for nonviolence, but never thought he’d be fighting a war on his home front.

When the Sandy Hook massacre happened in 2012, like many people across the country, Claiborne was hit hard.”

“That was one of those wake up moments where our country was like never again, but then we let it happen again and again,” he said.

After that, Claiborne joined the RAW effort, breaking down guns into jewelry, art and garden tools. On average, the group collects 1,000 guns a year.

In 2021, Claiborne began his raw war on guns in Philly, and the work is resonating with teens in the area.

“I like how they are changing guns into positive things instead of negative things,” one teenager said.

Despite the challenges, Claiborne believes the city can win the war on guns. “Just as metal can change, so can our neighborhoods. So can policies. So can a human heart,” he said.

The proceeds from all items sold by RAWtools Philadelphia go toward getting guns off the streets.

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