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Thousands of Guns Melted Down
Pasadena Independent Jul 21, 2016
FOX Broadcasting Company has incorrectly identified LASD Commander Steven D. Katz as a detective involved in the investigation of the death of Christopher Wallace (Biggie). - Courtesy photo
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The more than 7,000 weapons were mixed with about 150 tons of scrap metal and then melted into a pool of liquid metal. – Photo courtesy Gerdau Steel Mill
23rd Annual Event Is Largest Ever at Rancho Cucamonga, Steel Mill Transforms Firearms Into Steel Rebar for New Roads, Freeways, and Buildings
A record 7,044 guns were reborn as steel rebar when the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department partnered with the Gerdau Steel Mill to recycle the confiscated firearms during the 23rd Annual Gun Melt, hosted by the Rancho Cucamonga mill on Thursday, July 21.
The weapons – the most ever at the annual gun melt at the mill – included handguns, rifles, and automatic weapons collected in criminal investigations and probation seizures, as well as guns turned in by citizens at collection events.
“For the second year in a row, I have the privilege of overseeing our annual gun destruction event,” said Sheriff McDonnell. “Today, over 7,000 firearms will be translated from their potential of destruction into the certainty of construction. These weapons which were used to harm, take away life, and effectively destroy happiness, families, and communities, will be converted into something positive and beneficial.”
Mark Olson, vice president and general manager of the Gerdau Steel Mill in Rancho Cucamonga, said the company is proud to once again be donating its furnace, equipment, and personnel to convert the weapons into steel rebar. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works also donates the trucks every year which transport the weapons to the mill. Together, LASD and Gerdau have eliminated more than 180,000 illegal and seized guns over the past 23 years.
“Our continuing partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reflects our commitment to safety, both at our steel mill and in our community,” Olson said. “As California’s largest recycler, Gerdau will convert these firearms into environmentally-friendly rebar that will be used to build new infrastructure across our state. A large portion of our product is seismic rebar, which helps protect people and concrete structures from earthquakes.”
– Photo courtesy Gerdau Steel Mill
On Thursday, the weapons were mixed with about 150 tons of scrap metal and then, using three carbon electrodes, heated to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit to melt the weapons into a pool of liquid metal.
Most of the melted guns were collected by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Additional guns came from police in Beverly Hills (49), Compton (2,000), El Monte (92), and the Los Angeles Superior Court (868).
Thursday’s gun melt came less than a month after Gerdau recycled another 2,100 pounds of guns from the Hemet Police Department, located in Riverside County. Last year alone, Gerdau conducted 40 gun melts with various law enforcement agencies from across Southern California and melted 30,000 tons of confiscated weapons – which equates to approximately 20,000 weapons – and other confiscated items into steel rebar.
Gerdau employs nearly 300 steelworkers at its Rancho Cucamonga mill where the company operates one of the largest and greenest metal recycling programs in the nation. The mill recycles scrap metal into steel rebar, diverting more than 400,000 tons of waste from local landfills or from being sent overseas every year. California has the second highest demand for rebar in the nation and 95 percent of the scrap metal recycled by Gerdau comes from within 75 miles of the mill.
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