Being The Change

Cross and Liberty United bring attention to gun violence in the United States with a new pen.

- Laura Chandler

Recently, a story that made national headlines brought me to tears. A three-year-old boy was shot and killed in a road rage incident in Little Rock, Arkansas, because his grandmother, who was driving the car, wasn’t moving fast enough to suit the guy behind her. The man got out of his car and opened fire. I kept thinking of my own grandson, who is about the same age as the precious child whose life was taken.

Most gun violence never makes the headlines, national or otherwise; it’s a reality that many people live with day in and day out, year after year. The problem is now so pervasive that it’s been called a public health crisis by the American Medical Association, yet there is no consensus when it comes to solutions.

In our June 2016 issue (see “A Pen with a Purpose”), we reported that the A. T. Cross Company teamed up with Fonderie 47, an organization founded by American entrepreneur Peter Thum, in a pen venture that helps remove illicit AK-47s from some of the most turbulent regions in Africa. In this partnership, Cross produced its Peerless fountain pen in a special version that incorporates decorative details in steel obtained from confiscated AK-47s. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Cross Peerless Fonderie 47 pen is used to fund the destruction of ten more illicit AK-47s.

Now, in a logical extension of that project, Cross partners with Liberty United—another organization established by Thum—to help address the gun violence problem in the United States. Again, Cross has produced a special version of one of its most popular models, this time the Classic Century ballpoint, with decorative details made from the steel of illegal guns. By law, these guns must be destroyed, a process that represents an expense to the communities.