The United Nations is one of those places perhaps visited once (at best) by residents and perhaps not at all by the independent visitor not on a tour. I vaguely remember visiting and touring long ago as part of a high school trip before I lived in the city. The image of the United Nations itself has become somewhat tarnished as time passes, with various issues and problems – enforcement of Security Council resolutions, bureaucratic inefficiency, etc. – leaving even less reason to find itself on the visitor’s list. But it is still worth a visit.
The large complex is unusually spacious for NYC and abuts the East River. In addition to the vistas and various buildings (which can be toured), there are gardens and outdoor sculptures. The work shown in the photo of a 45-caliber revolver with its barrel knotted is titled Non-Violence and is frequently referred to as the “knotted gun.” It was created by Swedish sculptor Carl FredrikReutersward in 1980. A cast metal version was gifted by Luxembourg to the United Nations in 1988. The piece makes an immediate impression, with its message quite clear. The inspiration for the piece was the death of John Lennon, a friend of the sculptor’s…
The sculpture speaks for itself but the fact that it is dedicated to John Lennon gives it even more meaning. Killing John Lennon was like killing Gandhi in a way. As absurd and unforgivable as to shoot the pigeon of peace.
WHat *did* John Lennon *do* for “peace”? Sit in bed?
Hmm. A not-so-subtle comment on the effectiveness of UN “peacekeeping” troops?
Carlos – I’m not sure it was actually dedicated to Lennon. The UN site had nothing about it. It was only after digging that I found an brief mention that the sculptor was outraged at Lennon’s death, that he was a friend and that it was what drove him to do this piece.
i remember going to the UN many many times. nice capture of the sculpture. actaully makes me want to go back to the UN maybe this weekend and take a look around. its been a long long time since i’ve been.
I love this sculpture. I used to live accross the street, in Tudor City Place. I have not been in the UN sculpture garden in a while. You made me want to revisit.
As they say, pictures speak louder than words….well in this case, sculpture speaks louder than words!
If only we could knot all guns in this way – they are one of the greatest evils our world has ever created, yet so easily accessible to those they should be kept well away from.
What a wonderful world it would be if all the guns were knotted!
Well, IF ALL guns could be knotted, you would be correct. It would be a wonderful world. I have young children and would die to guarantee that they would live in a world of peace and harmony with no criminals that I needed to protect them from. But once you got rid of guns, then you'd have to get rid of knives, then rocks and clubs…
Your heart is in the right place but your logic is WACKED !!!!!!!!!!
It's not whacked logic. The logic of the gun is one of fear. Separate yourself from fear and you'll embrace a message of trust and peace. Are there loonies out there? Certainly. I've nearly been shot by one myself. But a handgun bought for protection is 22 times more likely to harm you or your family than to be used to protect you.
http://newtrajectory.blogspot.com
The knotted gun statue at the UN symbolizes the anti-gun radicalism of world government.
Sarah Brady said a mouthfull stating, “Our task of creating a socialist America can only succeed when those who would resist us have been tottally disarmed.”
Thomas Jefferson well warned us: “The strongest reason for the people to keep and bear arms is, as a last resot, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”
The statue should be called “SLAVERY IS FREEDOM”
I never heard of the UN asking governments to disarm. Governments have killed millions of people with guns & other weapons. You bedwetters who cry for gun control will wish you had a gun one day when a street thug is killing you for your wallet or a police office is taking you to jail for speaking out against a public official in some way.
..The gun (not this gun) is a symbol of “Liberty”. No one can debate this cause the fundamentals of tyranny and oppression have always been, and will always need to be curbed by the people, “the citizens” not subjects not slaves.. America is a Constitutional Republic, America is not a democracy..
Dear Brian Dubé, I can tell you are not a pro gun person. In fact I suspect you and most of the people who look at this page bat for the other side. How? Because if this sculpture is indeed modelled after a Colt Python, it is a .357 Magnum or perhaps latterly a .38 Special only. The Colt Python was never manufactured in a .45 calibre of any strip, neither the .45 Colt nor the .45 ACP.
It may seem strange to some advocates of more gun-control laws that going after the guilty (or those who exhibit destructive behaviors) offers more promise than going after the innocent, but that’s what the facts show.
With all that’s happening in our government today: putting out ads to get more people on food stamps, putting tracers on our electric meters, using drones to travel the skies, giving tanks to certain cities, refusing to use the fuel resources we have available instead of depending upon our enemies to supply it, reducing our spending power by the high price of oil and new taxes, taking responsibility away from the individual, promoting ludicrous law suits, etc., etc., it is clear that our president is heading toward socialism or dictatorship, and total dependency of the population upon the government. Now is the time to keep our guns.
If you’re worried about shootings, get the mentally ill taken care of. Someone who wants to kill people can just as easily use a bomb. . It’s not hard to find our how.
It’s all a facade………….. With the utmost respect to John Lennon, he (ultimately) is being used. This IS all about rendering a citizenry defenseless in the face of a burgeoning Totalitarian government, pure Kafka, Orwell, period.