Unwanted firearms and ammunition will be collected Saturday at nine police departments in southern Maine and sent to an organization in Colorado that turns guns into garden tools.
The Guns to Garden Tools program is sponsored by the Maine Gun Safety Coalition. RAWTools of Colorado Springs will forge the firearms into garden spades and pickaxes, which will be shipped back to Maine and given to schools that have gardens in Greater Portland, said William Harwood, coalition president.
The coalition, which includes police officials and is active in gun safety education and policy issues, scheduled the event to coincide with “spring cleaning” season and Mother’s Day, which is Sunday.
Firearms will be collected from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at police departments in Brunswick, 85 Pleasant St.; Cape Elizabeth, 325 Ocean House Road; Falmouth, 2 Marshall Drive; Gorham, 270 Main St.; Portland, 109 Middle St.; Scarborough, 246 U.S. Route 1; South Portland, 30 Anthoine St.; Wells, 1563 Post Road; and Yarmouth, 200 Main St.
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