New Article Chronicles Failure of NRA’s Eddie Eagle Program as Unintentional Shootings By Children Rise Across the Country

This weekend, The Daily Beast published a new article informed by internal NRA board meeting minutes, revealing the NRA’s children’s education program Eddie Eagle has “essentially fallen apart.” The apparent disintegration of the program, which the NRA has repeatedly wielded to argue against common sense gun laws, happened in recent years at the same time the organization slashed funding for  “safety, training & education” by more than a third. These findings come after an increase in both gun sales and gun violence over the last year, meaning more children have guns in their homes, putting them at risk of unintentional shootings, gun suicide, and gun violence on school grounds.

From the report:

“Putting the onus on children to stay safe around guns is a recipe for disaster,” said [Shannon] Watts. “But the NRA doesn’t want to put the onus on gun owners, even though responsible gun owners know that they should keep their guns locked, unloaded, separate from ammunition when they’re around kids. The NRA wants to encourage guns for anyone, anytime, anywhere, no questions asked.”

A 2002 study in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics found that young children who participated in a weeklong gun safety program were just as likely to pick up a gun they found as kids who hadn’t gone through the program.​​

The Eddie Eagle program complements the NRA’s support of senseless gun legislation such as permitless open carry. More parents and school boards are choosing proven methods like Be SMART, which reached over 900,000 households with K-12 students in 2020, while the Eddie Eagle program only reached 32,700 students in 2020, per the new internal NRA documents. Parents, school boards, and researchers agree, Be SMART and secure firearm storage practices are more effective for both children and adults in preventing unintentional shootings than teaching children to avoid guns. 

Between March and December of 2020, there was a 31 percent increase in unintentional shooting deaths by children of themselves or others, compared to the same time period in 2019. An estimated 4.6 million American children live in homes with at least one gun that is loaded and unlocked. Every year, hundreds of American children gain access to firearms and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. Secure firearm storage plays a vital role in reducing unintentional shootings and gun suicide. Secure firearm storage in the home is also one of the most effective tools to prevent gun violence in schools. In incidents of gunfire on school grounds, up to 80% of shooters under 18 obtained the gun(s) used from their home or the home of relatives or friends.

The research and data show that secure storage is unquestionably one of the most effective ways to reduce unintentional shootings, gun suicide, and school shootings for children as children have continued to gain access to guns in 2021. 

Developed by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund and Moms Demand Action, the Be SMART program helps parents and other adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions to securely store guns to prevent child gun deaths and injuries.

The program encourages parents and adults to: 

• Secure all guns in their home and vehicles
• Model responsible behavior around guns
• Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes
• Recognize the role of guns in suicide
• Tell their peers to be SMART 

For more information on the Be SMART program and how to safely secure your firearms, visit the Be SMART website. Read more about the rise in firearm suicides in youth here. Additional information about unintentional shootings by children is here. If you are interested in speaking with a policy or research expert, please don’t hesitate to reach out.