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Sheriff's Office to Offer Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program

07/17/2015

Hempstead County Sheriff to offer Eddie Eagle Firearm safety classes.

Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton and his deputies will be offering a program on gun safety for kids.

The program will be available to age’s Pre-Kindergarten – 1st grade and 2nd and third grades, day cares, churches and any group that has Pre – K through 3 grade age kids. Presentations will include a Parent’s Guide to Gun Safety that will be given to each child.

Eddie Eagle Gun Safe® program is a gun accident prevention program developed by a task force made up of educators, school administrators, curriculum specialists, urban housing safety officials, clinical psychologists, law enforcement officials and National Rifle Association firearm safety experts.

It began in 1988 with one mission: teach children four simple, easy to remember steps so they know what to do if they ever come across a gun.

  1. STOP
  2. DON’T TOUCH
  3. LEAVE THE AREA
  4. TELL AN ADULT

We talk about stranger danger; Internet safety, fire drills and more with children...so why not include gun safety?

The program makes no value judgments about firearms, no firearms are ever used, and it covers an important topic that needs to be addressed with kids. Like swimming pools, electrical outlets and matchbooks, firearms are simply treated as a part of everyday life. With firearms found in about half of all American households, it’s a stance that makes sense.

Neither Eddie nor any members of his Wing Team are ever shown touching a firearm, and there is no promotion of firearm ownership or use. The NRA does not make any sort of profit off the program, nor does it intend to. The goal of the Eddie Eagle Program is merely to prevent accidents and keep children safe.

The program will begin with the new school year to schedule a program Contact the Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office at 870-777-6727.