Tennessee native Shane Claiborne grew up around guns, and upon moving to Kensington in Philadelphia, he saw too many lives being lost due to the gun violence.
So, he felt he needed to do something about it, writes Wakisha Bailey for CBS News Philadelphia.
In 2022, Claiborne opened RAWtools Philadelphia, a workshop that takes guns off the streets and transforms them into works of art and everyday items.
“My philosophy is any gun we can chop up makes the world a little safer,” he said.
Over his two years, Claiborne has seen his fair share of weaponry collected by the shop, including grenade launchers, Uzis, and weapons of war.
Claiborne is a lifelong activist, having been to warzones and advocating for nonviolence. However, it was the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 that hit him the hardest, as he saw that he was actually fighting a war on his own home front.
It was after that he joined the RAW effort.
The group collects about 1,000 guns a year on average.
Claiborne is confident that the city can win the war against guns.
“Just as metal can change, so can our neighborhoods. So can policies. So can a human heart,” he said.
Read more about Shane Claiborne and his unique form of activism in CBS News Philadelphia.
_____
