Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

NRA Victories: Eighteen Million Safer Kids

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Shawna Dennet knew something was very wrong when her seven-year-old daughter Briana ran through their St. George, Utah, home screaming, “If You See A Gun: Stop! Don’t Touch. Leave The Area. Tell An Adult!”

Shawna raced to Briana, asking where she saw a gun—it was in a bedroom where a visiting relative was staying. There, Shawna found her four-year-old son holding a gun as her two younger children looked on.

When Paul and Kathryn Walters of Gladstone, Mich., moved into a new house with their three children, they didn’t know the previous owner had left a .22 bolt action rifle and a few rounds of ammunition in a closet corner where neither parent could fit.

Seven-year-old Michelle Walters and twin four-year-old siblings Samantha and Christopher found the gun during a game of hide and seek. Michelle immediately commanded the younger children, “Stop! Don’t Touch. Leave The Area. Tell An Adult.”

A Life-Saving Lesson The Dennet and Walters families—and countless others—credit the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program for teaching their kids how to prevent a potentially fatal accident.

This groundbreaking gun accident prevention program for children in pre-K through third grade has reached more than 18 million children in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Puerto Rico and beyond.

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program was the brainchild of NRA past-President Marion P. Hammer in response to anti-gun propaganda disguised as “safety” curriculum flooding our nation’s elementary schools.

The NRA worked with schoolteachers and administrators, clinical psychologists, law enforcement officers, education specialists and firearm experts to develop a message that’s readily understood by children and easily taught by any adult:

“If You See A Gun: stop! Don’t Touch. Leave The Area. Tell An Adult.”

Over the years, the program has been praised by numerous groups and elected officials, including the Community Service and Youth Activities Divisions of the National Safety Council, the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Sheriffs’ Association and 26 state governors, to name just a few.

Among children in the Eddie Eagle age group, fatal firearm accidents have been reduced more than two-thirds since the inception of the program, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

What’s more, a 2001 study published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing Online named Eddie Eagle the most effective among the more than 80 programs evaluated, drawing a distinct correlation between the Eddie Eagle Program and children’s lives saved.

Statistics aside, it’s the volume of testimonials that the NRA receives each year from parents that proves the true value of the Eddie Eagle Program.

Another recent example is the case of Billy Thornton, a third-grade student from Knoxville, Tenn. Billy found a security guard’s loaded firearm in a credit union bathroom. He had recently learned the Eddie Eagle message, so he alerted his father to the presence of the unsupervised firearm. For this, Thornton received an award from his community.

An Award-Winning Program Eddie Eagle has been honored and endorsed by various groups such as the U.S. Department of Justice, the Community Service and Youth Activities Divisions of the National Safety Council, the American Legion, the Police Athletic League, the National School Public Relations Foundation, the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers, as well as the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA).

In fact, when formally endorsing the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program in March 2002, then nsa President Sheriff John Cary Bittick said, “We are proud to partner with the National Rifle Association on this very important issue, and we would like to express our full support for this program.”

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program has also garnered praise from 49 state legislatures and/or governors, who have urged their respective state school systems to implement the life-saving message the program offers.

And the Community Service Division of the National Safety Council recognized the tremendous contribution that the Eddie Eagle Program has made in keeping kids safe by awarding program creator Marion P. Hammer with one of its highest honors, the Community Safety Award Citation for Outstanding Community Service.

Since 1996, the program’s delivery has been enhanced by the availability of Eddie Eagle mascot costumes to law enforcement agencies that teach the program, helping capture child-ren’s attention during presentations.

Officer Rolando Hinjosa of the Melvindale, Mich., Police Department, said, “I can’t say enough about the Eddie Eagle Program. It is going over great with teachers, administrators, parents and kids. The costume is an absolutely fantastic asset to teaching the program.”

Threatened by Critics and Cashflow Keeping the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program alive costs about $500,000 per year, on top of the millions NRA has invested in it from its inception through 2005. While funds raised through Friends of NRA and donations to The NRA Foundation help sustain the program, continued support is critical.

NRA membership is not required to teach the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, and the lessons can be adapted from one- to five-day formats. Materials include workbooks, an animated video, instructor guides, brochures and student-reward stickers, all of which are available in Spanish, too.

Anti-gun groups continue to be harsh critics of the program, apparently because it’s preferred over their anti-gun “safety” curricula. But the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program makes no judgment call as to whether guns are good or bad. And Eddie himself never touches a firearm.

In a recent example, an organi-zation called pax attempted to block efforts by District Attorney Edward Jagels to introduce Eddie Eagle to all kindergarten students in Kern County, Calif. pax attacked the program in a letter to the school board and anti-gun zealot

Dr. Arthur Kellerman criticized it on fox News. But Jagels and School Superintendent Larry Reider countered the criticism and put the safety of children over political gain. Today, all the district’s principals have received Eddie Eagle program materials for use in their schools.

(See “California’s Endangered Species,” America’s 1st Freedom, March 2006, p. 38).

The NRA holds that all children—especially those who don’t grow up around firearms—need to know what to do if they come upon an unsupervised gun. By drawing this distinction between guns on tv or in movies, and guns in real life, Eddie Eagle teaches children they should never touch a firearm without adult supervision.

As the program’s creator Marion Hammer said, “The NRA is committed to helping keep America’s children safe. This program also instills in our youth the important values of leadership, discipline and personal responsibility that will help our children throughout their lives.”That’s not indoctrination. That’s an NRA commitment that can benefit every child.

IN THIS ARTICLE
Firearm Safety/Kids & Guns
TRENDING NOW
Nancy Pelosi: Pro-Gun Voters Made an Impact

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Nancy Pelosi: Pro-Gun Voters Made an Impact

Congratulations NRA members and other pro-gun voters! Once again, our votes helped make the difference.

Bloomberg’s Mayors, Back in the News!

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Bloomberg’s Mayors, Back in the News!

Just a few short weeks ago, we wrote about Michael Bloomberg’s controversy-dogged gun control organization, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), and how another high-ranking member of the group had been indicted for allegedly committing serious ...

Make Crime Illegal Again

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Make Crime Illegal Again

While less prominent than the red sweep of the nation’s electoral map and the triumph of President Donald Trump, another telling development following the 2024 elections was the number of Californians in ultra-progressive strongholds who ...

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois struck down provisions of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) that prohibit “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines” in an NRA-supported case, Barnett v. Raoul.

NRA Files Amicus Brief Arguing that Washington’s Magazine Ban Violates the Second Amendment

Friday, November 15, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief Arguing that Washington’s Magazine Ban Violates the Second Amendment

Today, NRA filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of the State of Washington in a challenge to Washington’s prohibition on magazines that hold over 10 rounds.

Michigan: Take Action Against "Gun-Free Zone" Bills Today!

Friday, November 15, 2024

Michigan: Take Action Against "Gun-Free Zone" Bills Today!

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety SB 857 and SB 858 with amendments and the bills will now be eligible for votes on the Senate floor. Please use the take action button below and ...

Grassroots Spotlight: North Carolina Grassroots

Take Action  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Grassroots Spotlight: North Carolina Grassroots

The North Carolina NRA-ILA Grassroots Team recently held an NRA “Day of Action” event to coincide with the start of early voting in the Tarheel State, and to encourage our Second Amendment community to “Get Out and Vote”!

Michigan: House of Representatives to Take Important Vote on Anti-Gun Bills

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Michigan: House of Representatives to Take Important Vote on Anti-Gun Bills

Tomorrow, the Michigan House of Representatives is expected to vote on two packages of anti-gun bills. Use the take action button below to contact your Representative and urge them to oppose these anti-gun bills!  

PREFILING OF LEGISLATION BEGINS IN TEXAS FOR THE 2025 SESSION

Friday, November 15, 2024

PREFILING OF LEGISLATION BEGINS IN TEXAS FOR THE 2025 SESSION

Prefiling of legislation for the 2025 Regular Session of the Texas Legislature began on Tuesday.  Within the first three days, more than 75 firearm-related bills had been filed, the majority of which were anti-gun measures ...

Michigan: Senate Committee to Vote on Expanding Gun-Free Zones

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Michigan: Senate Committee to Vote on Expanding Gun-Free Zones

Tomorrow, the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety will take up SB 857 and SB 858. These bills would dramatically expand “gun-free zones” in the state and drastically limit where those with a concealed pistol ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.