Mass destruction of weapons confiscated in Woodstock

Handguns, knives and rifles – including an automatic rifle similar to an AK-47 – were run through an alligator shear, which snapped and rendered the weapons useless. Machetes, samurai swords, a meat cleaver and a brass knuckle/knife combination also were destroyed.

In total, there were 150 to 170 guns and an additional 200 knives, with a total value of about $75,000, a Behr employee said.

“From a moral issue, getting these off the street is the right thing to do,” said Jim Barbagallo, senior account executive at Behr. “And recycling them, rather than landfilling them, is definitely the right thing to do. In a landfill, there isn’t a guarantee they aren’t coming back.”

Behr employees and Woodstock police emphasized the importance of destroying the weapons and keeping them out of the hands of criminals.

“The last thing in the world I want is to have [these weapons] resold on the street,” Woodstock Det. Sgt. Jeff Parsons said.

Each gun was inspected by two trained Behr employees and placed one by one into the shear. The shear snaps the weapons in half with 200 to 300 tons of pressure. Rifles and shotguns were cut twice – once at the stock and once at the barrel.

The destroyed weapons will be shipped to a steel mill in South Beloit, Ill., where they will be shredded and turned into scrap metal.

“In three to four weeks, this material will be riding around in a Dodge Dart,” Barbagallo said.

With the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the issue of gun control is on the forefront of Americans’ minds. Barbagallo said he was happy to play a role in destroying weapons that otherwise could end up in the wrong hands.

“I think what took place in Newtown is still on everybody’s mind,” he said. “Fortunately, these weapons won’t be reused. That’s the positive note.”

But Barbagallo made it clear that Thursday’s gun destruction was not a message for or against gun control.