Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Media, Academics Tout Eddie Eagle-Like Safety Program

Monday, July 24, 2023

Media, Academics Tout Eddie Eagle-Like Safety Program

On July 17, CNN ran a story with the headline, “A one-minute video reduced kids’ unsafe behavior around guns, study finds.” The item summarized the findings of study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics titled, “Effect of a Gun Safety Video on Children’s Behavior Around Real Guns.”

The JAMA Pediatrics study found,

In this randomized clinical trial, pairs of children aged 8 to 12 years who viewed a gun safety video at home and found a real gun hidden in a drawer in the laboratory were more cautious than children in a control group…

The researchers also found that “Children who had previously taken a gun safety course, [and] had guns in the home… were less likely to engage in unsafe behavior around real guns.”

What was the message in the safety video the children in the study were shown? CNN explained,

researchers at the Ohio State University created a randomized control trial in which 226 kids ages 8 to 12 were randomly sorted into groups. At home, one group watched a one-minute gun safety video featuring the Ohio State University police chief, while the other watched a similar video on car safety.

“Guns are not toys and are not to be played with,” Chief Kimberly Spears-McNatt states in the video. “If a child finds a real gun, they should not pick it up or move it. Instead, find an adult and tell them where it is located.”

This messaging will seem familiar to longtime NRA supporters. NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program teaches children to prevent firearm accidents using four simple steps if they come across a gun: Stop. Don’t Touch, Run Away. Tell A Grown-up.

Since launching in 1988, the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program has reached more than 32 million students. The program was developed by a task force made up of educators, school administrators, curriculum specialists, urban housing safety officials, clinical psychologists, law enforcement officials and NRA firearm safety experts. The program is offered free to sponsoring organizations.

Further, NRA-ILA continues to work to help provide this important message to children. This April, both houses of the Kansas legislature passed legislation to establish grade-appropriate curricula guidelines to teach firearm safety to students of all ages. The bill provided that the firearm safety curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade “shall be based on the eddie eagle gunsafe program.” Unfortunately, this important safety bill was vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly (D).

Even some of NRA’s most ardent critics appear to understand the wisdom of Eddie Eagle’s simple message. In 2016, the New York Times reported Moms Demand Action Founder Shannon Watts trumpeting a similar mantra. The news outlet wrote, “Children should be taught to leave the area immediately, not touch the firearm, tell an adult right away and call a parent, Ms. Watts said.” In 2015, anti-gun Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) tweeted, “I don’t agree w/ the @NRA on some big issues, but they deserve a lot of credit for teaching kids about gun safety. http://eddieeagle.com.”

In their recent article touting the JAMA Pediatrics study, CNN made no mention of NRA or Eddie Eagle. Could such assiduous avoidance of mentioning NRA and its longstanding program be calculated to avoid portraying the organization in a positive manner? Maybe. However, what’s important is that this coverage should help to spread Eddie Eagle’s life-saving message.

TRENDING NOW
Congress Passes the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Now Headed to President Trump

News  

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Congress Passes the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Now Headed to President Trump

Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other things, eliminate the burdensome $200 excise tax imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, ...

One Big Beautiful Bill Clears Senate, and Heads Back to House

News  

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

One Big Beautiful Bill Clears Senate, and Heads Back to House

Earlier today the U.S. Senate passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other things, eliminate the burdensome $200 excise tax imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, and “any ...

U.S. House Sends Reconciliation Bill to President Trump

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, July 3, 2025

U.S. House Sends Reconciliation Bill to President Trump

NFA Tax on Suppressors, Short-Barreled Firearms, and Other Arms Reduced to $0

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

News  

Saturday, June 28, 2025

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

Overnight, the U.S. Senate added pro-gun tax relief language back into the Reconciliation bill after the Senate Parliamentarian struck out an earlier provision.  While this new provision is not as expansive as the language we advocated for which ...

President Trump Signs the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into Law

News  

Friday, July 4, 2025

President Trump Signs the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into Law

Earlier today, on the 4th of July, a day on which our Founding Fathers declared their intent for a free nation, the President of the United State of America, Donald Trump, signed the “One Big ...

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

Just over an hour away from the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan – even as lawmakers worked feverishly to pass various gun control measures, including expansion of “gun free” zones – a chilling reminder unfolded of the ...

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Recently, House Bill 193 (H193) was reported favorably out of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, with amendments.

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

Canada’s Liberal government is pressing on with its harebrained gun ban and confiscation program for “assault style weapons,” but, true to form and precedents, it has been far from smooth sailing.

Washington Post Admits that Anti-gun Lawfare “Cannot be the Solution” to Crime

News  

Monday, March 17, 2025

Washington Post Admits that Anti-gun Lawfare “Cannot be the Solution” to Crime

In a turnabout worthy of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Washington Post (WAPO) published an editorial last Tuesday criticizing the gun control movement for ignoring the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) and pursuing its agenda in ...

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.