I talked to you yesterday about how children are "educated" since childhood with badges that indicate that the baby will be a future owner of firearms, and I have found that the Rifle Association also has a special section for children.
"Eddie Eagle" or the Eddie Eagle is the name of the pet that visits children in schools in the United States to prevent the dangers that up to 45% of households (53 million houses) keep weapons and 34 % of adults own a gun.
On the internet we can find the information of the National Rifle Association in Spanish with information about this program, whose full name is Eddie Eagle® GunSafe Program.
On the web they specify that the Eddie Eagle program does not use guns (You almost have to thank him) and he teaches children from kindergarten to sixth grade that if they find a weapon while they are unsupervised, they should follow these steps:
Stop Don't touch! Leave the Area! Tell an adult! TALL! Do not touch. Leave the area. Infroma an adult.
No doubt valuable advice for the little ones, but in a context like ours they lose meaning because it is quite complicated for a child to find a firearm. However, it is logical to talk about it in the United States.
The program has won several awards, has been used by ten thousand police departments and has been made available to more than 12 million children over the past decade.
Those who favor weapons are prevented from danger
The finding of this program causes me a double feeling. On the one hand, I understand that you want to prevent children's accidents. But on the other, with these teachings weapons are normalized, they get used to talking about them, to consider them something to be careful with, yes, but something usual.
And if you want to act in a blunt and really effective way against accidents (and intentional deaths) caused by firearms, it is certainly not the National Rifle Association itself that is going to try, right?
It is as if the schools of our country came to give talks about tobacco tobacco members. To what extent would we consider their "advice" reliable or effective?
I believe that educational and legal measures against weapons arriving from other areas would be more effective, in order to really protect children (and their families) against weapons and the violence they generate.
Educational programs that will teach that violence is not the solution, that security is also at risk with weapons, that these are not saviors. In any case, it is difficult to raise awareness among a population so that the next generation really sees the dangers of weapons ... Many things would have to change.
On the other hand, the fact that there is a pet as friendly as Eddie associated with firearms (it is also the animal that appears in the Rifles Association logo and associated with the national symbol of the United States) makes the theme more " soft "and the older children will see on the shield of the Association the memory of that children's pet.
Returning to the comparison with the anti-smoking talks for children. The alleged tobacco company organizer would also be interested in your pet being a lovely image related to your brand. The positive association is already made in children's minds ...
On the website of the National Rifle Association we find tips for families, although they do not refer to the 60 children who die each year from firearms incidents And I repeat, instead of selling padlocks or safe deposit boxes for weapons, or sending us to training centers to learn all about them, it would be better to apply other measures.
Official Site | NRA In Babies and more | Is it good for children to play with guns ?, War toys, Living with weapons, Daddy, buy me a Kalashnikov !, Play to kill (I) and (II)
