NASHVILLE, TN – The National Rifle Association’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program will unveil a new animated DVD featuring Eddie Eagle and the Wing Team to nine elementary schools in the Nashville metropolitan area April 7-9, 2015. The award-winning firearm accident prevention program teaches children in pre-K through fourth grade to “STOP! Don’t Touch. Run away. Tell a grown up.” if they find a firearm.
“The East Precinct School Resource Unit of the Metro Nashville Police Department was truly instrumental in helping us bring Eddie Eagle’s lifesaving message to local elementary schools,” said NRA General Operations Executive Director Kyle Weaver. “We’re always happy to work with local law enforcement when it comes to teaching firearm accident prevention to children.”
The Eddie Eagle GunSafe program was created in 1988 by former NRA President Marion P. Hammer with assistance from elementary school teachers, law enforcement officers, and child psychologists. It has been endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention and has received praise from national and community organizations, governors, and state legislatures. Funding for the program is made possible through grants awarded by The NRA Foundation.
More than 740,000 children in Tennessee and over 28 million children nationwide have learned Eddie Eagle’s lifesaving message throughout the program’s 27 year history. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unintentional firearm fatalities among children in the Eddie Eagle program’s targeted age group have declined approximately 65% in the last twenty years. Firearm accident prevention programs such as Eddie Eagle are a significant factor in that decline.
Additionally, Eddie Eagle and the Wing Team will be featured at NRA’s 144th Annual Meetings and Exhibits, April 10-12 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe program staff invites all families to stop by and watch the new animated film, which will air at the top of every hour for the duration of the convention.
The NRA encourages citizens nationwide to participate in heightening firearm safety awareness within their communities. Schools, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, and others interested in Eddie Eagle GunSafe can learn more at http://eddieeagle.nra.org/ or call (800) 231-0752.
THE EDDIE EAGLE GUNSAFE PROGRAM:
Schedule of Assemblies
Tuesday April 7, 2015
- Jones Paideia Elementary School
- Caldwell Elementary School
- Churchwell Museum Magnet School
Wednesday April 8, 2015
- Park Ave Elementary School
- Sylvan Park Elementary School
- Cockrill Elementary School
Thursday April 9, 2015
- Shwab Elementary School
- Glenn Elementary School
- Warner Elementary School
About the National Rifle Association
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Five million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and is the leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit http://nra.org.