Eddie Eagle Spreads His Wings

Eddie Eagle is spreading his wings, relaying his lifesaving message to more children through more appearances.

NRA began the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program in 1988 to teach children what to do if they find a firearm: Stop! Don’t touch! Run away! Tell a grown-up!

Note that neither Eddie nor any members of his Wing Team are ever shown touching a firearm, and there is no promotion of firearm ownership or use. The NRA does not make any sort of profit off the program, nor does it intend to. The goal of the program is to help prevent accidents. The Eddie Eagle materials for adults explain in detail how to safely store firearms and how to teach kids to stay safe—get them at materials.nrahq.org.

Eddie’s fun and free video, available at eddieeagle.nra.org, makes it easy to understand and remember his safety advice with a catchy song and a scenario in which Eddie and his friends—the WingTeam—encounter just such a situation and help each other (with the help of trusted grown-ups) learn how to stay safe. The Eddie Eagle Tree House website at eddieeagle.com lets children explore these safety concepts more fully, but in a fun way, with lessons, coloring pages, storybooks, etc.

Kids love meeting Eddie Eagle in person, as we saw from thousands of smiling little faces at the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pa., earlier this year. But don’t worry if you missed him there. You can also catch Eddie at this year’s NRA Annual Meetings (nraam.org) at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, May 16-19. Be sure to drop by the booth for Eddie Eagle materials and fun goodies!

Another important way Eddie spreads his message is through the mascot costume. These costumes were previously only available for law-enforcement agencies to purchase, but are now available to fire departments, emergency medical services and school administrators as well. Eligible organizations can purchase the costumes outright or may qualify for a grant through the NRA Foundation State Fund. See the Program Resources tab at eddieeagle.nra.org for more information.