Eddie Eagle

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe program and its namesake character were developed in 1988 by the National Rifle Association of America for children who are generally considered too young to be allowed to handle firearms.

[2][3][4] In 2001, pediatrician Geoffrey Jackman observed that although the Eddie Eagle program "has been promoted heavily, it never has been evaluated formally to prove that it works.

[7] In contrast, a 2002 study conducted by North Dakota State University concluded the program was not effective at keeping children safe.

[8] The program, administered in schools by trained law enforcement officers assisted by a volunteer, teaches children a litany to follow should they encounter a firearm: "Stop!

[15] In 2004, New York Times "Personal Health" columnist Jane Brody wrote that the NRA underwrote the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program "in part hoping to avert more stringent gun control laws.

The producers had a group of schoolchildren (aged 3 to 10 years old) watch the Eddie Eagle video along with a presentation by a police officer on gun safety.

[24] It has been described as a Trojan Horse programme, designed "as a way to deter lawmakers from passing Child Access Prevention (CAP) Laws, which criminalize keeping firearms easily within reach of children".

[3][26] An early childhood education specialist who helped revamp the Eddie Eagle program in 2015, denies that it should be treated as a replacement for safe storage laws.

It says the NRA sends a mixed message, noting that the organization encourages gun use by children as young as seven or eight years old in its magazine InSights.

[14] The American Academy of Pediatrics has maintained a critical position on the program since 1992 noting a lack of evidence demonstrating efficacy and advocating an absence of guns from children's homes as a more effective alternative.