The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department destroyed about 3,400 weapons on Monday that were confiscated by various agencies throughout the county—including the Long Beach Police Department.

The annual event allowed for more than 10,000 pounds of weapons to be melted into rebar and will be eventually used as elements of construction for upgrades in freeways and bridges in California, Arizona and Nevada, LASD officials said.

The destruction took place in Rancho Cucamonga at the Gerdau Steel Mill, which annually donates its furnace, equipment and personnel.

“Gerdau and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department both aim to support a healthy and safe community,” said Mark Olson, vice president and general manager of the Gerdau Steel Mill in Rancho Cucamonga. “This activity transforms weapons that were intended or used to inflict harm into a product that improves our landscape and economy in Southern California.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works also annually donates trucks to transport weapons to the mill.

The destruction is done in compliance with a state penal code which calls for “weapons unable to be sold to the public or returned to their owners to be destroyed,” officials said.

Other participating agencies include the Beverly Hills Police Department, Claremont Police Department, Downey Police Department, El Monte Police Department, Manhattan Beach Police Department, Sierra Madre Police Department, West Covina Police Department, Whittier Police Department, and the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Photos courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.