From NRA-ILA Fax Alert Vol. 4, No. 47, November 21, 1997

"Critics Say NRA Uses Safety Campaign to Lure Children," blared a New York Times headline (Nov. 19, p. A 24) of a story detailing a new "study" by the gun ban group, the Violence Policy Center (VPC), criticizing NRA's award winning Eddie Eagle gun safety program. The VPC's study would be laughable if it wasn't so patently false and offensive. For the anti-gun lobby to criticize NRA, that has spent $100 million over the past eight years on gun safety, demonstrates that the anti-gunners will stoop to the lowest of lows to further their gun ban agenda. In its claims, the VPC preposterously accuses NRA of promoting the program to boost future gun sales! As anyone familiar with the program knows, since its inception in 1988, the Eddie Eagle program's life saving message has reached 10 million schoolchildren and has been taught by more than 500 law enforcement agencies nationwide -- including the FBI! Rest assured, NRA will not sit idly by while the VPC attacks one of our most effective gun safety programs -- a program which, incidentally, has received numerous accolades and awards, and has led to a reduction in the number of accidental gun fatalities among children. In fact, NRA President Marion Hammer and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre have directed legal counsel to explore a number of options NRA may have. The questions the media should be asking are, what have groups like VPC done and how much have they spent on firearms safety and education. We believe the answers to those questions would be far more telling than the outrageous conclusions of this latest ruse of a "study." Members are encouraged to write their local papers and spread the word about the effectiveness of NRA's Eddie Eagle gun safety program and call the opponents of gun safety on the carpet!