RAWtools South (Asheville)

We are a growing gaggle of Southerners based in Asheville, NC and drawn together by RAWtools mission of disarming hearts, forging peace, and cultivating justice. Staffed by Scotty Utz and Stan Wilson, our volunteer blacksmiths and inspiring friends include Alex Krug, Dan Davis, Hagan Brooks, and aspiring young blacksmiths in partnership with Hood Huggers International.

We launched RAWtools South in January of 2024, and we’ve been busy. We’d love to come to your community, so please reach out with any inquiry.

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Make Tools in Asheville

What We Do

  • We transform guns into garden tools, art, and jewelry.
  • We offer blacksmithing demonstrations, allowing others to see, hear, and feel the transformation.
  • We bring our trained facilitators and all of the equipment to run safe-surrender (a.k.a gun buybacks) events in your community
  • We work with congregations and civic groups to reduce gun violence through events, workshops, conferences, and worship services.
  • Our insurance travels with us to cover liability and volunteers.
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Get Connected Near Asheville

2025 Forging Ahead

RAWtools South launched in January 2024, and since then we’ve stocked a “safe surrender trailer,” full of everything needed to support a safe surrender event. We’ve also hit the road with forges and chop saws to dismantle over 100 guns, spread the word about our work, and join a growing number of communities who are already practicing the vision of Isaiah to “beat their swords into plowshares....”
  • January 2-5 - "Unimaginable Possibilities" Keynote with demonstrations and breakout groups, Montreat College Conference, Black Mountain, NC
  • January 20 - Blacksmith Demonstration, MLK Day of Service, Peace Garden, Asheville, NC
  • February 17 - Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event with Blacksmith Demonstration, The Gethsemane Baptist Church, 565 Jetton St., in Davidson, NC. Details Here
  • March 1 - Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event, Evergreen Presbyterian Church, Memphis, TN. Details Here
  • April 4-6 - Peace Conference, Lake Junaluska, NC. Details Here
  • April 12 & 13 - Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event on Saturday the 12th with Blacksmith Demonstration Sunday afternoon the 13th, Southside Presbyterian Church, 317 W 23rd St, Tucson, AZ. Details to follow.
  • April 26 - Blacksmithing Demonstration: Guns to garden tools & Forging for Peace, at Fire On The Mountain Blacksmith Festival, Spruce Pine, NC. Details Here
  • May 3 - Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event, Interfaith group, Charleston, WV. Details Here
  • May 8-11 Blacksmith Demonstration: Guns to tools & Forging for Peace at LEAF Festival, Black Mountain, NC. Details Here
  • May 14-16 - Workshop: "Spadework” at Summer Institute, Duke Center for Reconciliation. Details Here
  • May 31 - Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Evet & Blacksmith Demonstration, Myers Park Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC
  • June 7 - Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event & Blacksmith Demonstration, First Baptist Church, Asheville, NC
  • June 21 - Guns to Gardens Safe Surrender Event, Hendersonville, NC, Details to Come
Contact Us

Invite us to Your Community

Contact us if you’re ready to host a gun surrender event . . . or if you're not ready and would like to help start a conversation in your community about gun violence reduction.

Contact us if you want to forge with others in your community . . . or if you’re stuck and need some ideas.

Courage and hope are contagious, and we’d like to catch yours.

infosouth@rawtools.org
Stan Wilson, coordinator
Scotty Utz, blacksmith/artist

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