While traveling on business in Africa, social entrepreneur Peter Thum saw firsthand the effects of this war and witnessed a world where it was normal for children to carry guns.
This inspired him to take action. His purpose: to get significant numbers of guns out of circulation in Africa and to engage influencers around the world to join him.
Many said it could not be done.
In 2009, Peter founded Fonderie 47, a company dedicated to transforming AK-47s into beautiful and exclusive luxury objects like jewelry, watches, and now writing instruments.
The first step to creating beautiful objects to fund the cause was to procure the AK-47 guns. The Fonderie 47 team spent a year and a half in the Kivu province of Africa negotiating to take legal possession of confiscated assault weapons. After encountering barrier after barrier, their perseverance finally paid off.
The next step was to find a local blacksmith to melt the AK-47s down into smaller pieces. Once these guns had been destroyed, the team carried the pieces back to New York in their luggage.
Back in Brooklyn, they built a forge and had a local blacksmith reconstitute them. From there, a micro-foundry rolled the steel into sheets that could be transformed into signature Fonderie47 pieces.
The craftsmen at Cross used this blackened AK-47 gunmetal to create the fine detail work in the cap inset of the Peerless Fonderie 47 fountain pen. These are the only writing instruments in the world crafted with Fonderie 47 recycled AK-47 steel.
In the last 20 years, ongoing wars on the African Continent have resulted in the loss of millions of lives. This conflict has largely been enabled due to the widespread availability of assault rifles.
Cross has partnered with Fonderie 47 to help make a difference by reducing the supply of assault rifles in these war-struck areas.
We celebrate this moment where something so beautiful can help support a cause so noble.
These very special Cross collectible pens are part of a series of writing instruments created in collaboration with Fonderie 47 to support the vision of an Africa free from assault rifles. The purchase of one of these pens will enable the destruction of one more assault weapon in Africa — a weapon that will never again be used to take human lives.