LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville woman and a business owner are teaming up to get guns off the streets. In two weeks, you could help them reach their goal by donating a gun.

With the help of a 3,000 degree forge, a sculptor blacksmith transforms parts of unwanted, donated guns and repurposes them into functional garden tools.

"It's like a little volcano," Craig Kaviar, who has nearly 40 years of forging experience in Louisville, said.

"I really love to work. I love creating and making things that people appreciate," Kaviar said. "While I was in art school, I decided that making functional art was a more reasonable way to make a living."

Blacksmith Craig Kaviar

Outside of making furniture and architectural elements for local churches and hospitals, he forges rifles and handguns.

"I forge one end out into a hole and the other end I forge out into a little fork," Kaviar said.

He transforms unwanted guns into handmade hoes for people to buy.

"They're actually a highly functional tool. They're a little bit hard to make though. Each time I make them I get a little bit better at it," Kaviar said.

"We're very blessed to have Craig here in Louisville, to be able to do this," Soni Castleberry, who is a part of a local gun violence prevention team, said. "He understands what we're doing here."

Soni Castleberry works to get guns off of Louisville's streets and into the garden, through Guns to Gardens Louisville.

Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church started Guns to Gardens Louisville in inspiration of the nationwide Guns to Gardens movement.

"Maybe you don't have a gun you want to give up the maybe you know somebody who has one," Castleberry said. "It's not easy in Kentucky to get rid of a gun.

According to Kentucky state law, guns seized by law enforcement that are part of a crime are turned over to state police and put up for sale at a public auction.

"If you don't want to sell it or you don't want to give it away, there is now  another way that we know that you can have that gun destroyed," Castleberry said. "You don't know what happens with that weapon. It could be back on the street in the hands of someone who's trustworthy and knows how to use a gun. But it also could go for not good purposes and could lead to someone stab and we want to be sure that people have an option that if they have a gun they don't want anymore that they have a safe way they can surrender it."

"It's good to get the word out about the surrender," Kaviar said.

A man using his talents, making something old new again.

Blacksmith Craig Kaviar

"Voila," Kaviar said.

The next surrender where you can donate your guns anonymously is on Nov. 18 at Westwood Presbyterian Church from noon to 2 p.m. The church is located at 4432 Greenwood Ave near Chickasaw Park.

There will be no demonstrations of the forging process. If you donate a gun, you will receive a $50 Kroger gift card.

You can buy a garden tool for $148.48, including tax, by contacting Kaviar at ckaviar@gmail.com or calling him at (502) 561-0377.

Kaviar opened Kaviar Forge in 1985. For more information about Kaviar's business, click here.

The organization is having an event for anyone to donate guns anonymously on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Westwood Presbyterian Church at 4432 Greenwood Avenue from noon to 2 p.m. near Chickasaw Park. 

For more information about Guns to Gardens, click here or contact guns2gardenslouisville@gmail.com.

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