Ohio Funds Gun Safety Program for Schools: Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program Selected

Ohio recently became the first state to appropriate funds specifically for schools to teach the Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program. The Ohio legislature appropriated $40,000 (Item 200-578) to help participating schools purchase the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program materials to teach children in pre-K through the third grade gun accident prevention. The money will be divided between FY04 and FY05 and could potentially reach over 130,000 Ohio schoolchildren.

"Under the leadership of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, whose support was critical to this program, Ohio has made a commitment to protecting our children," said Representative Timothy Grendell (R-Dist. 98), the legislator primarily responsible for the appropriation. "The Eddie Eagle^® program is a proven and effective way to teach gun accident prevention," he added.

In the past 15 years, Eddie Eagle^® has reached over 17 million children in pre-K through the sixth grade with a simple, effective action to take should they encounter a firearm in an unsupervised situation: "If you see a gun, STOP! Don't Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult." The program has been praised by numerous groups and elected officials, including the National Safety Council, the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Sheriffs' Association, and 24 state governors. To date, 22,000 educators, law enforcement officers, teachers, and civic leaders have delivered the program to children throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

"With this level of commitment, Ohio has really taken a leading role in gun accident prevention, the effectiveness of which is confirmed by declining gun accidents among children," said Craig D. Sandler, NRA Executive Director of General Operations. "The Eddie Eagle^® program in particular is widely popular with the schoolteachers and law enforcement officers who teach it."

Indeed, national statistics show that fatal firearm accidents among children have decreased dramatically over the past three decades and continue to do so. According to the National Center for Health Statistics and the National Safety Council, there has been an 84 percent decline in such fatalities since 1975, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a decline in accidental firearms deaths among children ages 14 and under of 49 percent from 1990 to 1998.

Schools, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, and others interested in more information about the Eddie Eagle GunSafe^® Program should call the Eddie Eagle^® Department at (800) 231-0752 or visit the website at Eddie Eagle.

from the National Rifle Association