Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More
The Knotted Gun is a sculpture about a weapon that cannot fire. Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd created the work, formally titled Non-Violence, in 1980 after the murder of his friend John Lennon. Its familiar image—a cocked revolver with its barrel tied into a knot—turns violence into an absurdity and makes peace visible.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Rifle Gun Mantle & Wall Decor Home & Office - Detailed Metal Sculpture - Decorative Indoor & Outdoor... | $89.95 | Buy on Amazon |
What is the Knotted Gun?
Non-Violence, widely known as the Knotted Gun, is a bronze sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd. The United Nations describes its version as one of the first three sculptures cast. It depicts a cocked .45-calibre revolver with a barrel knotted so the weapon cannot shoot. The UN’s listed dimensions are 79 × 44 × 50 inches; its record does not specify the order of those measurements. United Nations Gifts: Non-Violence
Why is the gun tied in a knot?
The knot makes the sculpture’s central contradiction impossible to miss: the gun remains recognizable as a weapon, but has been rendered useless as one. Reuterswärd explained the humor in that choice in a 1988 statement recorded by the UN: “While making my peace-symbol, I thought of the importance of introducing a touch of humor, just to make my ‘weapon’ symbolically ridiculous and completely out of order.” Rather than conceal violence, the sculpture disarms it through a visual joke.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- Show off your 2nd Amendment Rights with Pride! Protect your home and send a message with this finely crafted Metal Sniper Sculpture by Gute. This medium-sized statue is a great way to display your love for guns indoors or outdoors within your home. Featuring a unique design with extreme attention to detail, this statue is sure to draw the attention of house guests and fellow gun lovers!
- Surprise the Hunter or Gun Lover in your life with the Metal Sniper Sculpture by Gute. Impress your guests with this medium-sized, impressive addition to your home bar, countertops, shelves or dining room table. The Metal Sniper Sculpture will be sure to impress your guests with a realistic yet interpretive art piece of the ultimate defensive tool!
- Show your love for the best things in life with this large art piece of Metal Sniper Statue. Whether you're an art lover or gun lover, this art piece is the perfect gift! A fun and functional bar accessory for any bachelor or entertainer and is sure to be a hit at parties, birthdays, and more celebrations. This sign makes a great housewarming gift for your loved ones! A great addition as they turn their new house into a home by displaying their love for guns!
- The Metal Sniper Art Sculpture is the Ultimate Gift! Perfect to gift your favorite hunter for a Birthday, Anniversary, Groomsmen Gift, Father's Day Gift, and Graduation Gift! Any father, veteran, law enforcement officer, or gun owner will enjoy having this displayed in their home!
- Lean it against your wall for a decorative piece that's sure to draw attention at home, or let people know you mean business by mounting your metal art statue in your lawn, or to the tree in your front yard! This art piece is truly multi-functional and is made out of durable metal that is sure to withstand any weather. Show off your love of guns and hunting by placing this Sniper Art Sculpture in your home!
The UN also records Reuterswärd’s account of beginning the project after Lennon’s death: “I became so upset and angry over his death and many other outbursts of unnecessary violence that I went right to my studio and started working on the project ‘Non-Violence’.” The work’s origin is personal grief transformed into a public symbol.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does it have to do with John Lennon?
Reuterswärd made Non-Violence in 1980 after Lennon was murdered. The UN presents the sculpture as honoring Lennon’s vision of peace and identifies him as a peace advocate. Bina Sarkar Ellias, writing in Scroll’s Art of Solitude series, connects the work to Lennon’s song “Imagine” and invites readers to imagine a world without violence. That is the essay’s interpretation; the UN account establishes the connection to Lennon and peace, but does not say that the song directly inspired the sculpture. Scroll: “Art of Solitude: Imagine a world without violence”
Where is the original Knotted Gun?
The UN record says the sculpture was first placed at the Strawberry Fields memorial in New York’s Central Park. Luxembourg later bought it and donated it to the United Nations. The sculpture was installed at UN Headquarters in June 1988; the UN Gifts record separately lists June 11, 1989, as the donation date. Today, the UN version is at the UN Headquarters in New York. The installation and donation dates describe different events, not a single date.
How to distinguish the UN sculpture from other versions
There are replicas and related interpretations, so the familiar knot alone does not establish that a particular object is the UN original. The Non-Violence Project Foundation says identical sculptures are installed in more than 30 locations worldwide. Its page also reports that educational outreach and sculpture placement reach more than 100 million people globally each year; these are the foundation’s own figures, and its page does not state a measurement method or publication year. The Non-Violence Project Foundation: About
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →For a replica or collectible, check its provenance, maker or organization, medium, scale, finish, and edition documentation. The UN sculpture is bronze; the official shop lists hand-painted resin variants, which should not be mistaken for the UN bronze. Product details and editions vary. Official Non-Violence shop
A symbol that asks for peace, not victory
At the sculpture’s tenth anniversary in 1999, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described it as “a powerful symbol that encapsulates, in a few simple curves, the greatest prayer of man; that which asks not for victory, but for peace.” The words suit the sculpture’s restraint: it offers no scene of triumph, only a weapon stopped by its own impossible shape.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
