"STOP! Don't
Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult."
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NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program has been
hailed for its effectiveness since the program's inception
in 1988. Eddie Eagle teaches children in pre-K through the
third grades that, if they find a gun, they should: "STOP!
Don't Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult."
Fatal firearms accident among children have
dropped 91 percent since 1975, according to the National Center
for Health Statistics and the National Safety Council. Eddie
Eagle and other gun safety programs are widely considered
to be one major reason for the decline.
Further, the program has been evaluated by a number of organizations
devoted to safety issues. In 1999, the Department of Justice
called it an "outstanding education initiative"
in a study of dozens of violence prevention programs. In 2001,
a study published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing
Online found it to be the most effective of 80 such programs
examined. In March 2002, the program was formally endorsed
by the National Sheriff's Association. The National Safety
Council has also honored the program, and 24 governors have
passed resolutions recommending that Eddie Eagle be taught
in their states. Moreover, Ohio just became the first state
to appropriate funds specifically for the program to be taught
in their public schools.
Perhaps the best evidence of all is the many letters NRA
receives from parents describing circumstances in which children
encountered unattended firearms. Because of what the children
learned in Eddie Eagle, they did not touch the guns, left
the area and found an adult.
Recent studies claiming that gun accident prevention programs
are ineffective demean the dedication of 22,000 law enforcement
officers, schoolteachers and child safety activist who have
delivered the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program to more than
17 million children across the country.
NRA also questions whether the "young test subjects"
in these studies were exposed to the complete Eddie Eagle
program and whether someone knowledgeable with the program's
content and purpose administered it.
Gun safety programs, of course, need to be reinforced by
responsible parents who show concern for all safety issues
surrounding their children. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program
includes a brochure entitled "A Parent's Guide to Gun
Safety," which helps parents understand their responsibilities.
A major point in the Parent's Guide is the fundamental NRA
rule of safe gun storage: "Store your guns so they are
inaccessible to unauthorized users, especially children."
For more information on Eddie Eagle, call (800)
231-0752, or visit www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie.
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