A West Virginia state lawmaker crashed a May 2 “Guns to Gardens” event held by Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church at a local fire department, saving numerous firearms from destruction.
For decades, those pushing for gun “buybacks” have tried to convince people to turn in their firearms in exchange for a relatively small gift card payment compared to the actual value of the firearm. Republican West Virginia Del. S. Chris Anders told the Daily Caller News Foundation that in response to the church event, he arranged for the presence of both a federally licensed firearms dealer (FFL) and a Class III dealer to comply with federal, state and local laws, including the National Firearms Act, and offered those looking to participate in the buyback a better offer for their guns.
The church planned to offer gift cards ranging from $50 for a handgun to $200 for a modern semi-automatic firearm, according to the Hagerstown Herald-Mail. Similar events are organized by state or local governments, a church or some other non-profit entity seeking to have people hand firearms over to them for destruction, often in exchange for a gift card, usually $50-$250, depending on the firearm.
Firearms collected in the “Guns to Gardens” were cut up on site to be turned into either art pieces or garden tools, according to the Herald-Mail.
They tried to destroy firearms today in Shepherdstown.
We showed up—and saved them.Instead of watching perfectly good firearms get cut up and destroyed, we bought them. @LauraAndersWV
Today, we didn’t just talk about the Second Amendment.
We defended it—one firearm at a time. pic.twitter.com/9HAmIaKaBk— S. Chris Anders (@SChrisAnders2) May 3, 2026
“What we did was peaceful, lawful, transparent and rooted in liberty,” Anders told the DCNF.
Among the firearms saved from destruction by Anders and others involved in the counter-event was what a May 4 release from the West Virginia Freedom Caucus described as “a collectible Colt revolver” that was worth hundreds of dollars – and nearly destroyed in exchange for a $50 gift card.
“We dismantled 60 guns, offered by more than twice as many owners as in past events—even as dozens stood at the edge offering cash instead of transformation,” the church posted on its Facebook page on May 2, claiming that the “overwhelming majority” of people “chose transformation.”
The church, whose website features a photo of a pride flag on its pulpit and used the words “inclusive” and “progressive” on its homepage, said its first “Guns to Gardens” event took place in 2023. It also touted its “commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion” while discussing its history.
“Though it wasn’t easy, our team and those offering cash coexisted with respect,” the church claimed in its post. “That we could differ so strongly, in such close proximity, without turning against one another is no small thing.”
Law enforcement was called on the pro-Second Amendment counter-protesters, according to the West Virginia Freedom Caucus release, but determined that Anders and those offering cash were acting lawfully.
CHAIRMAN OF THE WEST VIRGINIA FREEDOM CAUCUS LEADS EFFORT TO RESCUE FIREARMS FROM SHEPHERDSTOWN BUYBACK EVENT
Shepherdstown, WV – West Virginia Freedom Caucus Chairman @SChrisAnders2 led a grassroots effort on Saturday, May 2, to preserve privately owned firearms that were… pic.twitter.com/CCcByDvniZ
— West Virginia Freedom Caucus (@FreedomCaucusWV) May 4, 2026
“Guns to Gardens is a nationwide program that recognizes the rights granted by the Second Amendment—including the right not only to purchase firearms, but also to dispose of them,” Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church told the DCNF when reached for comment. “At a Guns to Gardens event, gun owners voluntarily surrender unwanted firearms to be dismantled in compliance with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives guidelines, then transformed into garden tools or art.”
“As all of our materials state, participation is entirely voluntary,” the church continued. “People participate for many reasons: practical concerns, grief, prevention, or religious conviction. Our purpose is simply to serve those who choose to do so.”
Anders urged others to engage in similar counter-events where other “buybacks” were taking place. He noted that those at the counter-events should take pains to follow all federal, state and local laws, even though he viewed them as infringements on the Second Amendment rights of citizens.
“One of the biggest misconceptions pushed by gun control activists is that firearms themselves are evil objects. They are not,” Anders told the DCNF. “A firearm in the hands of a peaceful citizen is a tool. The real issue is violent criminals, mental health breakdown, cultural decay, and the failure to prosecute aggressive crime.”
“Every gun melted down is proof that some people would rather destroy freedom than defend it,” he told the DCNF, adding, “The answer to violence is not destroying the rights of peaceful citizens.”
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