Over 23,000 weapons seized from armed groups, common crime, and organized crime groups are melted down at a steel plant in Nobsa and repurposed for social projects by Colombia's armed forces. The seized weapons include rifles, rocket launchers, mortars, grenade launchers, pistols, revolvers, and homemade firearms. "These weapons, some of which represented pain and destruction, are now being transformed into steel and rebar; essential materials for the construction of bridges, homes, schools, water treatment plants, and others, vital for our society," says General Hugo Lopez. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES