NY Times By Tiffany Hsu 7/24/2018
Steel from firearms melted down at mills around the country is used for construction, mining and more.
What should America do with its unwanted guns?
At steel mills around the country, the answer is simple: Throw them into a giant caldron, heat them up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit and liquefy them into an orange ooze.
For years, firearms at these so-called gun melts have served as an inexpensive supply of scrap metal that can be turned into bars of high-grade steel and later used as components in mining, construction and energy projects.
And as recent shootings have put gun control into the headlines, interest in gun melts is increasing at some mills.
More than a thousand guns were turned in last month in St. Paul at a steel mill run by Gerdau Long Steel North America, a subsidiary of a Brazilian company that processes scrap metal. The mill has produced steel used in wind turbine foundations, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Caterpillar equipment.
The firearms come from a variety of sources: rifles confiscated by the police, shotguns surrendered by owners, handguns used as evidence in closed cases and deactivated service weapons.
More:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/business/gun-buyback-recycling-melt.html