Captain Mike McCain of the Cleveland Police Department in Cleveland, Mississippi, submitted the winning application for the 2008 Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program mascot costume competition. The Cleveland Police Department will receive an Eddie Eagle costume, at no cost, to aid them in their gun accident prevention efforts among young children.
Launched in 1988, Eddie Eagle was created by past NRA President Marion P. Hammer, in consultation with law enforcement officers, elementary schoolteachers, and child psychologists. It teaches children in pre-K through the third grade the following safety message: If you see a gun: STOP! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult. Since inception, more than 26,000 law enforcement officers, schoolteachers, and community safety leaders have taught the program to over 21 million young children.
The program’s delivery has been enhanced by the availability, beginning in 1996, of Eddie Eagle mascot costumes to law enforcement agencies. The costume helps capture children’s attention during presentations, and leaves a lasting positive impression. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program started over ten years ago in the Cleveland area and the costume will certainly be a great addition to the effectiveness of their program.
"It’s a program that works," said Mike McCain, Captain of the Cleveland Police Department. "The message sticks with the children, and adding the costume to it is going to make it even more exciting for the kids."
Over the years, the Eddie Eagle program has been praised by numerous groups and elected officials, including the Association of American Educators, the Youth Activities Division of the National Safety Council, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the U.S. Department of Justice (through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency), 26 state governors and 23 state legislatures, just to name a few. Since the Eddie Eagle Program was launched, the annual number of firearm-related deaths among children of the program’s age group declined more than 80 percent. Gun accident prevention programs such as Eddie Eagle are a significant factor in that decline.
Mike Nevins, NRA Field Representative for Arkansas and Northern Mississippi, is pleased to be able to help award the Eddie Eagle mascot costume to the Cleveland Police Department. "Firearm safety is an important message to teach, and the Eddie Eagle program is a great tool for the job," said Nevins.
The Eddie Eagle costume represents a $2,650 value for the Cleveland Police Department and was made possible through a contribution by the Mississippi Friends of NRA. Thanks to the support of Friends of NRA around the country, 28 costumes have been donated through this contest to law enforcement agencies since 2001. The NRA encourages citizens nationwide to participate in heightening gun accident prevention awareness within their local communities.
Law enforcement agencies, schools, civic groups, and others interested in more information about the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program should visit www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie or call 800-231-0752 or e-mail eddie@nrahq.org.