It is time for mandatory gun accident prevention education in schools

By Chad D. Baus

In the past month, no less than four Ohio children, aged eleven, ten, eight and four, have injured or killed people with firearms. Two of the victims, aged eight and two, were shot by their respective siblings. One of the victims, shot by his eleven year-old neighbor, was seven. Three of the victims died of their injuries.

In all but one case (wherein a four year-old boy shot his 18 year-old babysitter with a shotgun because she had accidentally stepped on his foot) the shootings have been ruled accidental.

The typical reaction from the loudest voices in our society (the establishment media) will be to demand laws that regulate safe storage of firearms (at a minimum) or that make it tougher for people to own firearms at all (more likely). But we've tried it their way for long enough, and the results continue to be written in the blood of our children.

Questions most certainly do need to be asked of the responsible adults. Why were loaded firearms stored within easy access of these young children? Why were they not being supervised at the time of the accidents? Why didn't these parents teach their children not to play with guns? And so on, and so on. These are important questions, to be sure.

Teaching children what to do if they find a gun is no different than teaching a child that ovens should always be considered hot. Teaching children what to do if they find a gun is imperative for all parents, whether or not they keep a firearm in their home, for the simple fact that the child will not always be in the home. The potential exists for even young children to come into unauthorized, unsupervised contact with a firearm, and only proactive education by their parents can prevent a negative outcome when they do.

Clearly, the responsible adults have a huge responsibility in the accidents mentioned above. They have failed their children by not properly educating them on what to do if they find a gun, and failed them again by leaving a loaded firearm where the child had access to it. But is it enough to simply stop after making that sad observation? And does anyone really think that such irresponsible people would follow a mandatory safe storage law if one were enacted? Of course not!

Society has determined (after seeing enough homes and apartment complexes burn to the ground because little Johnny was playing with matches) that it cannot be left to parents alone to teach children not to play with matches.

Society has determined (after seeing enough children experience the horrible victimization of sexual abuse) that it cannot be left to parents alone to teach children what to do if they are touched inappropriately.

Society has determined (after seeing enough children on the sides of milk cartons and WalMart bulletin boards) that it cannot be left to parents alone to teach children what to do if a stranger attempts to lure them into their car.

Society has even determined (well, at least our President did when he was an Illinois State Senator) that kindergartners need to be given sex education.

I simply cannot understand why a society that has decided that parents cannot be trusted to provide the "proper" education on issues like fire safety, sexual abuse, abduction, and even sexually transmitted diseases, is perfectly comfortable leaving the issue of gun accident prevention up to parents.

The NRA has been promoting a safety program for children in grades K-3 since 1998. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program tells those youngsters to "Stop! Don't Touch! Leave The Area! Tell An Adult!" if they find a gun.

Originated by Florida grandmother and past NRA president, Marion Hammer, the program has been awarded the National Safety Council's Outstanding Community Service Award, has been endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Sheriff's Association. Additionally, the Journal of Emergency Nursing Online has named the NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program tops out of more than 80 gun accident prevention programs evaluated. Yet when I volunteered to teach the program in my area elementary school two years ago, I was told that "this might make the children more interested in guns." Really? Try filling in the word 'guns' with the word 'sex' or 'drugs' or "alcohol', and ask your school to stop teaching sex ed or DARE to your kids.

Why is deterrence-oriented education deemed appropriate on other dangerous topics, but not when it comes to guns? WHY IS GUN ACCIDENT PREVENTION EDUCATION NOT A MANDATORY PART OF OUR KIDS' ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM?

The answer is politics. The gun ban lobby (groups which ironically often given themselves names which include the words "gun safety") have consistently fought against the implementation of such education, especially when that education is offered by groups they oppose politically. Many of the objections that have been presented to me by the school could all be easily sourced back to anti-gun groups like the Violence Policy Center, who have characterized Eddie Eagle as "Joe Camel in feathers" in an attempt to create the belief that the program promotes firearms ownership in some way, when it absolutely, categorically does not.

VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann has said "just like the alcohol and tobacco industries have worked to find ways to reach out to underage consumers, Eddie Eagle is one component of the NRA's efforts to reach out to underage gun consumers." Likewise, because of her hatred for the NRA, Toby Hoover, who often appears to be a one-woman show at the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, either lied or betrayed her ignorance (regarding a topic journalists insist on presenting her as an expert on) about the proven effectiveness of Eddie Eagle to the Columbus Dispatch, alleging that "there isn't a program out there that has proven effective."

"There isn't a program out there that has proven effective," eh? The nurses behind the Journal of Emergency Nursing Online study beg to differ.

It is because of comments like Hoover's and Sugarmann's that I place the blame for accidents like the ones we have seen this past month not only on apathetic or ignorant parents, but also on gun ban extremists, who are putting their desire to weaken a political enemy ahead of children's very lives.

And it is because of comments like Hoover's and Sugarmann's that I believe am having difficulty getting my offer to volunteer my time to teach the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program in my sons' elementary school accepted.

I've been trying for more than two years now. During the last school year, after working around concerns about how much time the program would take away from class studies, etc., I reached what I suspect is the real reason for the hesitancy, when the powers-that-be referenced "a desire to stay away from any materials printed or published or endorsed for political causes," despite having already been provided with materials stressing that Eddie Eagle is never shown touching a firearm, that he does not promote firearm ownership or use, that the program never mentions the NRA, nor does it encourage children to buy guns or to become NRA members.

I received renewed hope this year when I was able to put someone at my school in touch with the Director of Student Outreach Programs in the Columbus Public School system (CPS has chosen to have the head guidance counselor for the district teach the Eddie Eagle program when they travel around to the schools at the beginning of the school year.) But I regret to report that I am still waiting.

What have we come to in this country when educators fail to take advantage of offers of free teaching materials designed to prevent children from potential tragedy, especially when it is being offered by volunteer instructors? And what does it say about these so-called anti-gun "child safety" extremists that they actively attempt to torpedo a program that has been proven to work to reduce incidents of children having accidents with firearms?

If your children haven't been taught what to do if they find a gun, it is your responsibility to teach them. ORDER THE VIDEO NOW!

If your school isn't teaching the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program, ask the superintendent why not. Anyone can teach the material, and it can be covered in 30 minutes to an hour. Volunteer to do it for them!

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program is designed for students in grades K-3. The self-explanatory program includes a student workbook, corresponding instructor guide, reward stickers, posters and parent guides.

School districts wishing to participate in the program should call the National Rifle Association at (800) 231-0752, email [email protected] or visit http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/.

In addition to the steps we can and should all take on our own, it is time for Ohio's legislators to mandate the program be taught in every school in the state. With pro-gun Governor Strickland proposing the addition of a full month to the school calendar, the schools systems will certainly no longer be able to claim they don't have enough time.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman, an NRA-certified firearms instructor and the proud father of two "Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program" graduates.