This sculpture is called “the knotted gun” located outside the United Nations headquarters. It was designed by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reutersward as a tribute to his friend John Lennon after he was shot and killed in New York in 1980. John Lennon was an advocate of peace which was evident in the lyrics of many of his songs both with The Beatles as well as with his wife Yoko Ono.
The sculpture was given to the UN by the Luxembourg Government in 1988 and depicts a 45-caliber revolver with its barrel tied into a knot so that it cannot be fired. After the placement at the UN, more than 15 replicas have been placed around the world including South Africa, France, England, Luxembourg, Germany, Beijing and numerous versions in Reautersward’s homeland Sweden.
Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General commented on the sculpture saying “The sculpture Non-Violence has not only endowed the United Nations with a cherished work of art; it has enriched the consciousness of humanity with a powerful symbol that encapsulates, in a few simple curves, the greatest prayer of man; that which asks not for victory, but for peace”
Note: I try to be as accurate as possible but make no guarantees. Please use this information at your own risk.
Sources:
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
http://www.nonviolence.com/about/The-Sculpture/
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/26878
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Violence_(sculpture)