NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program Reaches 30 Million Children
FAIRFAX, Va. – The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program, NRA’s groundbreaking gun accident prevention course for children, has achieved another milestone by reaching its 30 millionth child.
Created in 1988 by past NRA President Marion P. Hammer, in consultation with elementary school teachers, law enforcement officers and child psychologists, the program provides pre-K through fourth grade children with simple, effective rules to follow should they encounter a firearm in an unsupervised setting: “If you see a gun: STOP! Don’t Touch. Run Away. Tell a Grown-Up.”
Volunteers for the Eddie Eagle program come from diverse backgrounds, but they share a commitment to keeping children safe. Those involved include NRA members, teachers, law enforcement officers and community activists who teach the program, as well as private donors and Friends of NRA volunteers who raise funds to provide the program’s educational materials.
More than 26,000 educators, law enforcement agencies, and civic organizations have taught the program since 1988. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, incidental firearm-related deaths among children in Eddie Eagle’s targeted age group have declined more than 80 percent since the program’s launch.
The Eddie Eagle program has been praised by numerous groups and elected officials, including the Association of American Educators, the Youth Activities Division of the National Safety Council, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the U.S. Department of Justice (through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency), and 26 state governors.
Law enforcement partnerships with Eddie Eagle have proven to be very effective. In fact, almost 400 Eddie Eagle mascot costumes are in use by law enforcement officers across the county. NRA also offers free Eddie Eagle materials to any law enforcement agency, educational facility, hospital, or library across the nation.
Funds raised through Friends of NRA and distributed through The NRA Foundation enable schools and police departments to teach the program at little or no cost. The NRA encourages citizens nationwide to participate in heightening gun accident prevention awareness within their local communities.
Schools, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, and others interested in more information about The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program, or persons who wish to see if free materials are available in their communities, should email the NRA Community Outreach Department at [email protected] or visit www.eddieeagle.com.
If the kids’ parents are Democrats and the kids are going to public schools, the “tell a grown-up” part is going to be really challenging for the poor youngsters.
I think the great part about the NRA message is it’s extremely simple and kids get that.
My niece, when she was 4 1/2 had a similar “stranger danger” talk at her preschool and it was awesome how well she remembered it, and then iterated scenarios, “If someone pulls up on their tractor and asks ‘Hey little girl, you wanna pick some corn?’ You yell and runaway and find a trusted adult!”
And really, with any person, kids or adults, clear, simple instructions are the best.
I wish it weren’t cringey but I guess it’s a win anyway.
This is apparently a helpful program for child safety. Congratulations are in order. It is unfortunate that to keep children safe around guns, guns must be present. It is to be hoped that one day Eddie Eagle will fade away, because this nation finally decides guns are no good for anyone but the authorities and the military. A gun free America will be a good America.
Anyway, a pat on the back for NRA. Good show.
Ha! Well, “this nation” might decide any number of things, but there will be guns in my house as long as I’m alive to live in it.
And I’d like to point out that as you yourself say, “authorities” would still have guns even in your utopian “good America.” So nope, there’s no such thing as a gun-free society, and something like Eddie Eagle will always be necessary.
Also, you seem to be perfectly fine with guns in the hands of certain people. Why not also be in favor of my guns, too?
“But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.'”
Exodus 21:5
Well, if you must go there..,,,
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
– Rom. 13:1
“Why not also be in favor of my guns, too?”
The fewer guns in the hands of the public means fewer opportunities, and fewer incidents of, negligent discharge that harm peaceful citizens and residents. Few guns available reduce the number of guns available for theft or straw purchasing. Fewer guns available, the fewer to be stolen. Fewer stolen guns to be used in crime.
How can any of that be bad for the public?
It’s bad for the public because they’d be stupid bitches. Those who are not already. Existing stupid bitches I guess stand only to benefit.
Thank you for the commentary, but it is completely incomprehensible, old stick.
Because nothing is ever going to stop people who want to harm other people… knives, stones, sticks, bricks and thousands of other things are used to harm people… including bare hands. That’s been going on since the dawn of human existence. The gun simply is part of an excellent plan to defend oneself from all of those things.
I had to shoot a man who was trying to kill me… with his bare hands. If I had not been armed, I would be dead. Is that what you want?
On the other hand, I’ve had guns for about 50 years now. I’ve never even been tempted to shoot anyone else… Just the man who tried to kill me.
I know, I know… don’t feed the troll.
To feed a troll, one must understand what a troll is. A troll does not engage in debate, or conversation. A troll does not exchange ideas. On the other hand, as it were, if you believe everyone who questions your assumptions and prejudices is a troll, you arrive at an echo chamber, which is good only for snowflakes.
But, as always, taking serious responses as being serious conversation, I point out that violent attacks upon persons is not restricted to guns, nor any other singular weapon. Unfairly, I presume your shooting incident was not armed combat in the military. I can in no way argue that your being alive due to the use of a gun is a bad outcome. It is regrettable that you had to shoot another. By the same token, exceptions do not constitute a rule. Happy you are here, though.
There is no life activity that results in perfect solutions. Even armed civilians (i.e. not police) are killed despite possessing a firearm during an attack. There will always be people killed by others. It is reported that America is possessed of nearly 400 million privately-held firearms. Has that inventory of firepower contributed much to reducing deaths caused by non-ballistic weapons? I think not. My point is that with fewer guns, there will be a measurable reduction in gun violence on the larger scale (obviously we are not here discussing crime-ridden neighborhoods). If the supply of guns is reduced, the supply chain filling or replacing guns used by criminals can be choked-off (but not perfectly).
Yes, there is no way to be absolutely free of guns on the street, but what if pursuit of removal of guns in private hands could reduce the death by gunfire of several hundred people per year? Is that not a reasonable goal? Would removal of guns be worthwhile if several thousand deaths by gunfire could be eliminated?
You said “By the same token, exceptions do not constitute a rule.”
There are at least 270 million guns (probably actually double that number), owned by at least 100 million people in the USA. (Not counting criminals, who by law are not allowed to own guns.
Accidental shootings (a couple hundred a year?) and even murders and suicides are quite rare stacked up against those numbers. And keep in mind that most of those already rare incidents are related to the aforementioned criminals, not the 100 million law-abiding folks.
For comparison, consider that motor vehicles are the cause of more deaths each year than the similar number of firearms. Yet we’re not talking about taking cars out of public circulation, because we recognize that fatalities are unusual and that cars are a net benefit to society. You’ve recognized that guns can save lives, and thus have an inherent benefit — yet that’s waved away somehow, because guns.
So… By definition, the accidents, murders, and thefts you’re talking about are the exception. Exceptions do not make the rule.
Moreover, taking my property away because some criminal might steal it seems an awful lot like making women wear burkas because someone might rape them. Or because they might make the dangerous choice to wear a short skirt. Where’s the freedom or the justice in that?
“It is to be hoped that one day Eddie Eagle will fade away, because this nation finally decides guns are no good for anyone but the authorities and the military.”
‘Eddie Eagle’ will fade away when parents step up their responsibility to include gun safety along with all the other things responsible parents teach their children, such as ‘look both ways before crossing the street’… 🙂
” ‘Eddie Eagle’ will fade away when parents step up their responsibility…”
From comments on this blog, I have noted pro-gun people do not have much faith in parents meeting their responsibilities to their children. Is that not a call for outside inducements and protections? Should safety rules about instruments of life and death be left to proven dysfunction of parents? While I do applaud the NRA for the Eddie Eagle program, it is too limited in its outreach. Governments are best suited for mass education (else, why are public schools following government guidelines concerning standard education?).
So incorporate something like Eddie Eagle into the elementary school curriculum, and a more detailed, practical safe-handling course at the secondary level, and let’s see what kind of effect it has.
If you want to push real safety education, I’ll be right there with you.
Just a quick warning for the parents out there thinkin about letting your children watch this… BE PREPARED TO HEAR YOUR CHILDREN SING THE SONG CONSTANTLY! My 3 watched it yesterday and are still randomly bursting into song.
Other than that small quibble, it’s an awesome program to gun proof your kids.
Stop! Don’t Touch Run Away and Tell a Grown-up!
Ah damnit now I’m doing it!!!
As long as there is one parent out there that does not seek responsibility to teach and train their children on firearms and safety, Eddie Eagle will remain a vital program in the system. The liberal control of our schools demands no firearm safety course will be taught. In fact, I had one Republican senator on LI even refuse to pursue the implementation of this course after I provided him with it after Sandy Hook! And while firearm safety was taught and promoted in schools through the 1960s, it has been banned as offensive, dangerous, and not PC. Liberals prefer martyred dead children over live ones any day!
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