Buffalo blacksmith turning guns into garden tools

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Mark Stradley saw too many of his kids lose their lives to gun violence, so he got his hands dirty.

"I felt heartbroken for the families that have lost these children I mean we're talking about kids that are under the age of 10 and it just breaks your heart, so I knew that I had to do something," said Stradley.

Those kids were students he worked with as a counselor at Buffalo Public Schools.

He now takes pieces of rifles and firearms, then burns them down into garden tools through the group RAW Tools.

"I want to bring life to our community and not death, so we're taking this instruments that may have been used to cause death or to inflict pain upon a community or a family and we're making it into something that's life giving, that can help our community, our young people to row and not have to fear gun violence," said Stradley.

He can make four to five garden tools out of each gun. He's also creating heart necklaces to give to mothers and grandmothers who've lost children to gun violence.

Want to donate a firearm? Click here for more info.