Eddie Eagle at Bill of Rights Day

Bill of Rights celebrants take time to teach children about gun safety

Sarah Cooke
Daily Reporter-Herald
December 16, 2001

Felicia Maitzen, 3, watches a movie about gun safety as part of the Bill of Rights Day celebration at the Pulliam Building on Saturday. The program teaches children what do do when around guns.

A small group of children huddled around Mary Trionfera in the Pulliam Building on Saturday, listening intently as the Fort Collins-area woman talked to them about gun safety.

"If you're playing in the garage and you saw a gun on the bench, what would you do?" she asked.

Several hands flew into the air.

One child told Trionfera he wouldn't touch the gun, while another said she would go tell her parents she had found it.

Trionfera, a member of the Second Amendment Sisters political group, smiled and nodded in agreement at both answers.

"There's always things we do to stay safe so we can't get hurt," she said.

A few minutes later, the children watched a video featuring Eddie Eagle and later met Eddie face-to-face as part of the National Rifle Association safety program during the second annual Bill of Rights Celebration on Saturday.

Colorado's Second Amendment Sisters sponsored the program, which is meant to teach children up to 12 years old about gun safety.

Eddie's message appeared to make a good impression on all those present Saturday.

Many children lined up to get a photo with Eddie afterward and later sat down to watch Eddie's video about gun safety a second time.

The video's main message - "Stop! Don't touch! Leave the area! Tell an adult!" - is an easy way for children to remember what they should do if they see a gun, parent John Maitzen said after the program.

"This is a good thing," he said. "It's on their level, and that keeps their interest."

Maitzen, who lives in Hudson, brought his two young children to the program Saturday because he keeps several guns in his home.

"You can never be too safe. ... It's a good message, and you've got to keep hammering it into them," he said.

Every child who participated in Saturday's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program received a coloring book and a certificate of merit with his or her name on it.

According to the NRA, the program has reached more than 1 million children nationwide since it was created in 1988.

Eddie Eagle hand out safety packets to children at the Pulliam Building on Saturday. The Eddie Eagle Program, sponsored by the National Rifle Association, teaches youths about gun safety.

Follow up letter to the editor

We wish to take this opportunity to applaud The Reporter-Reporter Herald for it's fair and balanced coverage of the Eddie Eagle GunSafe (Avoidance) program at the Bill of Rights Day Celebration, Saturday, in Loveland. The reporter and photographer were courteous, cooperative and professional during the 45 minute program.

One statement, however, does need clarification. The Second Amendment Sisters is not a "political group". We are a national, non- partisan, grass roots organization of women, Ā men, and families dedicated to preserving the basic human right of self-defense, as guaranteed by the 2ndAmendent to the Constitution. Ā We believe in personal responsibility, safety, education, and the enforcement of laws against violent criminals. We also strongly believe that the best way to keep our children safe is to educate them. We teach our children not to run with sharp instruments, to avoid drugs and alcohol, what to do in a burning building, to wear seat belts and helmets and not to talk to strangers. How to avoid firearms should be a vital part of that education as well.

The Eddie Eagle Program was presented with the endorsement and participation, of Sheriff Jim Alderden and The Larimer County Sheriff's Office. We thank, Deputy Walt Pestridge for his participation in the program and for talking to the children. He took time from a very busy schedule of delivering 'Santa Cop' presents, because he thought this program "was very important".

Sue and Dick Rehg
Colorado State Coordinators
Second Amendment Sisters, Inc

The following letter to the editor was sent in a week before the event and was published the morning of the event.

2nd Amendment Sisters offer firearm education, safety
It is the responsibility of all parents to educate their children, especially in matters of safety. We teach them not to play with matches, to look both ways when crossing the street and what to do in case of a fire. But what if your child finds a firearm? How will your child react? The chances of your child being involved in a fire or finding a firearm we hope are very slim. Is one a greater danger than the other?
The Second Amendment Sisters are dedicated to teaching firearm safety to children and adults. The best program we have found for teaching children what to do if they find a firearm is the NRA's Eddie Eagle Program. We will be sponsoring the an Eddie Eagle program at the Pulliam building at 2:00 PM on December 15, 2001. The 45 minute class is free for children in the second and third grade.
Many organizations harp on disarmament, but offer no education on firearm safety. We encourage all parents, educators and concerned officials to attend this public showing of this fine program and judge for yourself. Your child's safety is important and you should do all you can do to teach them well. We feel it is much better to educate our children than to keep them ignorant and hope they will know what to do on their own.
Dorié Lehan Buchanan

Other media exposure included a press release to the Reporter Herald about the Bill of Rights Day celebration in which the Eddie Eagle program was mentioned. This also was published three days prior to the event in the Community Calendar section.

It was mention several times on the air on KHNC radio 1630 AM.