diff --git a/src/librustc_trans/base.rs b/src/librustc_trans/base.rs
index 56ff5ebb069ea..84b9c5e72decf 100644
--- a/src/librustc_trans/base.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_trans/base.rs
@@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ pub fn maybe_create_entry_wrapper(ccx: &CrateContext) {
 
         let bld = Builder::new_block(ccx, llfn, "top");
 
-        debuginfo::gdb::insert_reference_to_gdb_debug_scripts_section_global(ccx, &bld);
+        debuginfo::gdb::insert_reference_to_gdb_debug_scripts_section_global(ccx);
 
         let (start_fn, args) = if use_start_lang_item {
             let start_def_id = ccx.tcx().require_lang_item(StartFnLangItem);
@@ -785,17 +785,19 @@ fn write_metadata<'a, 'gcx>(tcx: TyCtxt<'a, 'gcx, 'gcx>,
             tcx.sess.cstore.metadata_section_name(&tcx.sess.target.target);
         let name = CString::new(section_name).unwrap();
         llvm::LLVMSetSection(llglobal, name.as_ptr());
-
-        // Also generate a .section directive to force no
-        // flags, at least for ELF outputs, so that the
-        // metadata doesn't get loaded into memory.
-        let directive = format!(".section {}", section_name);
-        let directive = CString::new(directive).unwrap();
-        llvm::LLVMSetModuleInlineAsm(metadata_llmod, directive.as_ptr())
+        make_section_non_loadable(metadata_llmod, section_name);
     }
     return (metadata_llcx, metadata_llmod, metadata);
 }
 
+/// Generate a .section directive to force no flags (e.g. for ELF outputs)
+/// so that the contents of that section don't get loaded into memory.
+pub unsafe fn make_section_non_loadable(llmod: ModuleRef, section: &str) {
+    let directive = format!(".section {}", section);
+    let directive = CString::new(directive).unwrap();
+    llvm::LLVMSetModuleInlineAsm(llmod, directive.as_ptr())
+}
+
 /// Find any symbols that are defined in one compilation unit, but not declared
 /// in any other compilation unit.  Give these symbols internal linkage.
 fn internalize_symbols<'a, 'tcx>(sess: &Session,
diff --git a/src/librustc_trans/consts.rs b/src/librustc_trans/consts.rs
index 6afb340107d66..916479cf201b2 100644
--- a/src/librustc_trans/consts.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_trans/consts.rs
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ pub fn trans_static<'a, 'tcx>(ccx: &CrateContext<'a, 'tcx>,
 
         if attr::contains_name(attrs, "used") {
             // This static will be stored in the llvm.used variable which is an array of i8*
-            let cast = llvm::LLVMConstPointerCast(g, Type::i8p(ccx).to_ref());
+            let cast = ptrcast(g, Type::i8p(ccx));
             ccx.used_statics().borrow_mut().push(cast);
         }
 
diff --git a/src/librustc_trans/debuginfo/gdb.rs b/src/librustc_trans/debuginfo/gdb.rs
index 4567ec8b452df..cb2d575eec958 100644
--- a/src/librustc_trans/debuginfo/gdb.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_trans/debuginfo/gdb.rs
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@
 
 use llvm;
 
-use common::{C_bytes, CrateContext, C_i32};
-use builder::Builder;
+use common::{C_bytes, CrateContext};
+use base;
+use consts;
 use declare;
 use type_::Type;
 use session::config::NoDebugInfo;
@@ -22,19 +23,13 @@ use std::ptr;
 use syntax::attr;
 
 
-/// Inserts a side-effect free instruction sequence that makes sure that the
-/// .debug_gdb_scripts global is referenced, so it isn't removed by the linker.
-pub fn insert_reference_to_gdb_debug_scripts_section_global(ccx: &CrateContext, builder: &Builder) {
+/// Inserts the .debug_gdb_scripts global into the set of symbols
+/// to be placed in `llvm.used`, so it isn't removed by the linker.
+pub fn insert_reference_to_gdb_debug_scripts_section_global(ccx: &CrateContext) {
     if needs_gdb_debug_scripts_section(ccx) {
         let gdb_debug_scripts_section_global = get_or_insert_gdb_debug_scripts_section_global(ccx);
-        // Load just the first byte as that's all that's necessary to force
-        // LLVM to keep around the reference to the global.
-        let indices = [C_i32(ccx, 0), C_i32(ccx, 0)];
-        let element = builder.inbounds_gep(gdb_debug_scripts_section_global, &indices);
-        let volative_load_instruction = builder.volatile_load(element);
-        unsafe {
-            llvm::LLVMSetAlignment(volative_load_instruction, 1);
-        }
+        let cast = consts::ptrcast(gdb_debug_scripts_section_global, Type::i8p(ccx));
+        ccx.used_statics().borrow_mut().push(cast);
     }
 }
 
@@ -51,7 +46,9 @@ pub fn get_or_insert_gdb_debug_scripts_section_global(ccx: &CrateContext)
     };
 
     if section_var == ptr::null_mut() {
-        let section_name = b".debug_gdb_scripts\0";
+        let c_section_name = ".debug_gdb_scripts\0";
+        let section_name = &c_section_name[..c_section_name.len()-1];
+
         let section_contents = b"\x01gdb_load_rust_pretty_printers.py\0";
 
         unsafe {
@@ -62,7 +59,8 @@ pub fn get_or_insert_gdb_debug_scripts_section_global(ccx: &CrateContext)
                                                      llvm_type).unwrap_or_else(||{
                 bug!("symbol `{}` is already defined", section_var_name)
             });
-            llvm::LLVMSetSection(section_var, section_name.as_ptr() as *const _);
+            llvm::LLVMSetSection(section_var, c_section_name.as_ptr() as *const _);
+            base::make_section_non_loadable(ccx.llmod(), section_name);
             llvm::LLVMSetInitializer(section_var, C_bytes(ccx, section_contents));
             llvm::LLVMSetGlobalConstant(section_var, llvm::True);
             llvm::LLVMSetUnnamedAddr(section_var, llvm::True);