Fayetteville Police Teach Kids About Guns

Posted 11:00 a.m. Aug 11, 1998 — Updated 11:00 a.m. Aug 11, 1998

FAYETTEVILLE — Kids killed by guns. It's a story we have to report far too often. Sometimes the weapons are just too tempting for curious children. Now one local police department is trying to teach young kids what to do if they ever see a gun.

Four important steps Fayetteville Police are trying to stress to kids are:

Stop

Don't Touch

Leave the Area

Call an adult.The gun safety program is a hands-on approach to teach children about the dangers of weapons. In the Eddie Eagle gun safety program, the kids watch a video, they color, read a comic, but what they won't see here is a real gun.

"Toy guns look a lot like real guns. We teach them that if they do see a gun, they should treat it as if it were real and go ahead and tell an adult and let that adult determine whether it is real or not," Officer Teresa Turner said.

The lesson is a serious one. Police officers hope that making the lesson fun to learn will make the difference.

Kristan Collins, 6, says she now knows not to touch a gun.

"When you touch it a bullet might come out, and it might shoot someone," Collins said.

The program is funded through the National Rifle Association. There are different programs for different age groups. Fayetteville Police wanted to start with 6, 7 and 8-year-olds, because they are the most curious when it comes to guns.

Suggest A Correction