On Monday, July 6, 2015, Sheriff Jim McDonnell announced the destruction of approximately 3,400 weapons confiscated within Los Angeles County. This action comes typically in July, in compliance with California Penal Code 18005(c), which calls for “weapons unable to be sold to the public or returned to their owners to be destroyed.”
The weapons included in this destruction will be re-purposed for good: Melted into steel reinforcing bar, better known as ‘rebar,’ and transformed into elements of construction for upgrades in freeways and bridges in Arizona, California and Nevada. The 5 ¼ tons melted today will be used for the betterment of transportation tomorrow.
“Gerdau and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department both aim to support a healthy and safe community,” said Mark Olson, Vice President and General Manager of the Gerdau Steel Mill in Rancho Cucamonga. “This activity transforms weapons that were intended or used to inflict harm into a product that improves our landscape and economy in Southern California.”
Annually, Gerdau Steel Mill, located in Rancho Cucamonga, generously donates its furnace, equipment and personnel to convert these 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.
This year, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and ten participating agencies contributed confiscated weapons to the annual destruction: Beverly Hills Police Department, Claremont Police Department, Downey Police Department, El Monte Police Department, Long Beach Police Department, Manhattan Beach Police Department, Sierra Madre Police Department, West Covina Police Department, Whittier Police Department, and the Los Angeles Superior Court.
For more information, please contact Sheriff’s Information Bureau Deputy Lillian Peck or Deputy Don Walker at (323)-267-4800.
