Our nation has been through a variety of horrific events surrounding gun violence, and it has brought the conversation to the forefront of our current events and “water cooler” conversations. It has largely become a binary conversation of either more guns or more laws.

RAWtools wants to open a new option, a third way:
What if we made a commitment to solve our problems without guns and violence?

Our vision is to repurpose weapons into hand tools to be used in the creation of something new, preventing the weapon’s use for violence and creating a cycle of peace.

RAWtools Buffalo partners with communities in an effort to repurpose weapons for productive lifelong purpose. The materials from the weapon will be forged into new tools. Each weapon will be connected to its new purpose, creating a story that will travel with the new tool.

With this imagery we will look to provide resources and opportunities to “learn of war no more, ” as Micah and Isaiah spoke of in the Old Testament.

We’re encouraging people and their communities to lay down their weapons and pick up new tools for conflict resolution. Story telling offers communities the opportunity to lament in the trauma violence has caused as well as celebrate a new path forward. This is what swords to plows asks of us.

Join us on this journey.