Parents' Guide To Gun Safety
Parents play a key role in developing safe practices and are responsible for their children's safety. Because isolated lessons can be quickly forgotten, repetition helps children remember safety procedures.
Parents can teach their children the Eddie Eagle program at home. Call the Eddie Eagle Program at 800-231-0752 and request a sample kit. Each kit includes a student workbook, instructor's guide, program statistics, a description of materials, an order form, and the Parents' Guide to Gun Safety brochure.
To receive a copy of the "Parents' Guide to Gun Safety" brochure, emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (800) 231-0752. You can also purchase a brochure.
The Parents' Responsibility
In a home where guns are kept, the child's safety rests squarely on the parents.
Parents who accept the responsibility to learn, practice, and teach gun safety rules will ensure their children's safety to a much greater extent. However, parental responsibility does not end when the child leaves the home.
According to federal statistics, there are guns in approximately half of all U.S. households. Even if no one in your family owns a gun, someone you know likely does. Your child could come in contact with a gun at a neighbor's house or other places outside your home.
Your child must know what to do if they encounter a firearm anywhere, and the parent must provide that training.
Talking With Your Child About Gun Safety
There is no particular age to talk with your child about gun safety. The first time they show interest in firearms, even toy pistols or rifles, is a good time to introduce the subject. Openly and honestly discussing gun safety with your child is more effective than just ordering them to "Stay out of the gun closet." Such statements may stimulate a child's curiosity to investigate further.
Explaining the rules and answering a child's questions helps remove the mystery surrounding guns. Any rules set for your child should also apply to friends visiting your home to help prevent peer pressure to show a gun.
Toy Guns vs. Real Guns
It is advisable, particularly with very young children, to discuss gun use on television versus real life. Firearms are often handled carelessly in movies and on TV. Additionally, children see TV and movie characters "killed" frequently. When a young child sees that same actor in another show, confusion may result between entertainment and real life. It may be a mistake to assume your child knows the difference between being "killed" on TV and in reality.
If your child has toy guns, use them to demonstrate safe gun handling and explain how they differ from real firearms. Even though an unsupervised child should not have access to a gun, there should be no chance they could mistake a real gun for a toy.
What Should You Teach Your Child About Gun Safety?
If you decide your child is not ready to be trained in gun handling and use, teach them to follow the NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program instructions:
- STOP!
- Don't Touch.
- Leave the Area.
- Tell an Adult.
The steps "Stop" and "Don't Touch" are the most important. To counter the natural impulse to touch a gun, impress these steps of the safety message upon your child.
In today's society, where adult supervision is not always possible, "Leave the Area" is also essential. Under some circumstances, the area may be considered a room if your child cannot physically leave the apartment or house.
"Tell an Adult" emphasizes that children should seek a trustworthy adult, neighbor, relative, or teacher if a parent or guardian is unavailable.