Meet Corey Simon

We recently connected with Corey Simon and have shared our conversation below.

Corey, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Blacksmithing is a skill that has fascinated me since I was a teenager and while I didn’t get the opportunity to begin the journey in learning the skill until I was well into adulthood, the thought of it was something that tickled at the back of my mind, reminding me again and again how much I wanted to give it a go.
At the same time, my becoming a pastor spurred me down the path of nonviolent resistance, towards making some sort of statement and symbol that would serve a purpose and offer inspiration to others. I went on to learn about the ongoing work of an organization called RAWtools (as they remind us, raw is war spelled backward) in transforming guns into garden tools and other pieces of art. Through this act of transformation, the idea is to both model words from the Hebrew Bible which speaks of the day when the people of the world will “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war,” and make a statement on how it is that we transform our tendency toward violence and death instead toward creation and peace. I began in my home state of Michigan, and while it initially began as an offshoot of the larger organization during the 2020 pandemic, it has since blossomed into its own ministry and movement.
I find purpose in speaking with people who find hope in what I’m doing. With my forge, anvil, and other tools, I travel the state going to various churches and communities, offering the opportunity for people to not only see the process of transformation but to take part in it. To take hold of the hammer and have their chance to swing it and beat the piece of the gun barrel into a functional garden tool. I’ve heard stories from veterans who, exhausted by the violence and death, have handed me their weapons or joined me in my garage as together we cut them down into raw material. I’ve been handed gun and knife and have been reminded that these tools, while simply that, tools, have taken on a greater significance in our culture, that of death and violence; and so when I feel broken and hopeless, as if nothing I’m doing matters, the sight and words of people spurred to action by my example have reminded me how it is only through community that we can move toward something better.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I travel the state of Michigan and surrounding states, offering churches and communities the opportunity to take part in the work of transforming a gun into a garden tool. Using raw materials that have been donated to me by gun owners who no longer want them, I take these tools that are undeniably weapons designed for death and from them create symbols and functional tools designed to cultivate food, to create and sustain the means of life.
I love the power and symbolism this work represents as, like any effort toward peacemaking, it is not easy. Each tool takes time to complete, with hundreds of blows, dozens of heats, and hours of fit and finish being sure that each tool looks beautiful but also serves as an entirely functional garden implement.
On my website, interested persons and communities can find my contact information, and as I’m currently working to book through 2025, can find out how to become involved n the work, perhaps donating a gun, perhaps learning the art of blacksmithing and carrying this vision to greater spaces still.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

My first act in doing this was to learn how to blacksmith. This activity is inherently dangerous as you’re standing next to a two-thousand-degree forge and working with extremely hot metal mere inches from your skin. Any mistake, any absentminded act can result in injuries or worse and so I wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing. I wanted to take a course and learn how to properly act around the metal and in the forge.
The next thing that was important was learning what is actually necessary in the process. Many of us jump wholeheartedly into new hobbies, spending hundreds on a skill we haven’t even discovered if we’ll actually commit to or not. And so rather than just jumping in, my process began with more inexpensive tools. A small anvil, an old forge, hammers from hardware stores and it was only as I progressed in the hobby that I began to invest more into it, often using the proceeds I got through the work to fund further upgrades to the shop.
Finally comes the perseverence. This type of work will have stretches where it seems as though no one is interested or listening. In those times I have to stick to my own passion, my own desire to better myself, my own need to create something beautiful.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I partner with a larger national organization, RAWtools out of Colorado Springs. As a part of a network of other smiths and artisans, I have greater access to stock, and to guns that people have donated. When I’m in need of material, I just have to send a message to the coordinator of the network, and within a few days I’ll receive a shipment of gun parts, ready to be turned into whatever I can dream of.
If you’re in Michigan or a surrounding state, I’d love to come to your community and set up a demonstration or invite you to the forge to take a turn swinging the hammer and learning how to forge. If you’re further away I’d love to help connect you to the larger organization, giving you the chance to become a part in the work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://disruptivedisciples.com/
• Instagram: @disruptive.disciples
• Facebook: Disruptive Disciples Blacksmithing