The Los Angeles Count Sheriff oversaw the destruction of 7,044 confiscated weapons in the county's annual gun melt.
The annual melt occurs in July when weapons unable to be sold or returned to their owners are melted down in compliance with California penal code.
The melted metal is used to create steel reinforcing bar, which is used for construction and upgrades to roads in California, Arizona and Nevada. The 7,044 confiscated weapons equated to 19,840 pounds of metal.
“For the second year in a row, I have the privilege of overseeing our annual gun destruction event,” LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said on the Sheriff Department's Facebook page. “Today, over 7,000 firearms will be translated from their potential of destruction into the certainty of construction. These weapons which were used to harm, take away life, and effectively destroy happiness, families and communities, will be converted into something positive and beneficial.”
According to the Facebook post, 4,035 of the weapons were from the LA County Sheriff's Department. Others were collected from Los Angeles Superior Court, El Monte Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department and the Compton Police Department.