Protesters display nuclear bomb replica in Downtown Raleigh to protest federal nuclear funding

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A replica of a nuclear bomb returned to Downtown Raleigh Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of the catastrophic 1961 B-52 nuclear bomber accident.

The replica was displayed during a protest by members of North Carolina Peace Action at the Terry Sanford Federal Building on New Bern Avenue.

A B-52 bomber dropped two 3.8 megaton nuclear bombs onto a farm in Faro, North Carolina near Goldsboro on January 24, 1961. One bomb was recovered, however parts of the nuclear core of the other bomb remains buried at the site.

Peace Action said it wants the federal government to stop funding nuclear weapons.

"We want to have people become aware that our federal government doesn't need to spend money on new nuclear weapons," said N.C. Peace Action member, Joe Cicero. "We need to spend money on health care. We need to spend money on climate change legislation and education. There's plenty of things we need to spend money on besides nuclear weapons."

Peace action said they have been part of the effort to eliminate more than 85 percent of the world's nuclear stock piles during the past 68 years.