"STOP! Don't Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult."

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.