Organization Works To Save Lives By Collecting Bullets From Community Members

Bullets 4 Life, a nonprofit organization working to reduce gun violence, has begun to collect live bullets in Chicago to disassemble and turn them into jewelry. The organization believes that one less bullet on the street can mean one less life lost to senseless gun violence. Photo Credit: Bullets 4 Life Chicago
Bullets 4 Life, a nonprofit organization working to reduce gun violence, has begun to collect live bullets in Chicago to disassemble and turn them into jewelry. The organization believes that one less bullet on the street can mean one less life lost to senseless gun violence. Photo Credit: Bullets 4 Life Chicago

Organization Works To Save Lives By Collecting Bullets From Community Members

Bullets 4 Life is a nonprofit organization that works across the United States, including in Chicago, to reduce gun violence. The organization regularly hosts community workshops to raise awareness about gun violence and invites individuals to come and turn in or donate their live bullets. The bullets are then torn apart and made into jewelry to symbolize that one less bullet on the street can mean one less life is lost to senseless gun violence.

“We raise awareness about gun violence by collecting live bullets off the street. We collect them from community members, from law enforcement, and from anyone who understands our mission and our cause. We do this by simply asking and sharing our own stories of how we’ve been affected by senseless gun violence and everyone who works for us has been affected in some way,” said Ashley Taylor, vice president of Bullets 4 Life Chicago.

During the community workshops, people can bring in live bullets to donate to the organization. According to Taylor, some people bring bullets they have purchased, some bring bullets they have found, and others bring bullets that have hurt or killed a loved one.

The organization uses a device that safely disassembles live bullets and symbolically allows people to take the life out of the bullet that could be used to take a someone’s life.

“Parents, mothers, and those who’ve lost a loved one to gun violence get to experience taking the life out of these bullets. They are reclaiming their power and purpose as they take the life out of a bullet,” said Taylor.

Also, during the workshops attendees are able to design their own jewelry with the bullets that have been disassembled and share their own stories of being affected by gun violence.

“We share our own stories of how gun violence has affected us and how we have found our purpose through the pain that we’ve experienced. The purpose of this is to raise awareness about senseless gun violence and show that life is worth more than the senseless killings we see. We are basically spreading the message that every life is worth more than a bullet,” said Taylor.

Bullets 4 Life Chicago recently announced that IMPACT Family Center would become their official fiscal sponsor and shortly thereafter the organization celebrated the grand opening of their new office space at 838 W. Marquette Rd. within the IMPACT Family Center.

“We now have a fiscal sponsor and can start to have programs ourselves where people can come to us and come to our communities and our environments to see and learn exactly why we do what we do,” said Taylor.

To learn more about Bullets 4 Life and to purchase a bracelet made of donated bullets, visit www.bullets4life.org.

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