WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Students learn gun safety lesson (Waterbury-WTNH) _ There has been a lot of talk about guns after the school shootings in Colorado and now Georgia. In Waterbury Friday some Connecticut children were getting a lesson in gun safety. News Channel 8's Judy Chong reports. The mascot Eddie the Eagle is teaching a very important lesson. A lot of households own guns, and you'd be surprised by how many children have found those weapons and played with them. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 1996 468 children around the country died as the result of accidental shootings. Many more were injured. The message is simple and clear, and every grade at the Bucks Hill Elementary School in Waterbury will hear it today. Treymaine Eason, 5th Grader: "I learned that you shouldn't touch a gun because it can just go off. If you see one in your friends home or on the ground, just leave it and go tell and adult and they'll handle it." Fun is used with cartoon characters and a mascot in order to get the kids attention to drive home a basic and simple motto that could save their lives. The New Haven County sheriff's department started this program 2 years ago after a child died in Naugatuck while playing with a gun. Parents here say the children are never too young to hear this message, and often. Nancy Duleal, Parent: "It's gotta be a repetitive thing. The fact the eagle was up here talking to the kids today, that's great but children need repetition, they learn well from repetition." At the end of the day, we asked a third grader if she remembered the motto from Eddie the Eagle. Jazmen Acoo, 3rd Grader: "Stop, don't touch...ahhhhh...stop, don't touch, run away, tell a grown up." So as you can see, children need to have the message reinforced. They are also given a cartoon workbook to bring home. This program, originally started by the NRA, is sponsored by the New Haven County Sheriff's office. They hope todays lesson will also make parents who own guns to think more carefully about how the weapons are stored. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Students learn gun safety lesson
(Waterbury-WTNH) _ There has been a lot of talk about guns after the school shootings in Colorado and now Georgia. In Waterbury Friday some Connecticut children were getting a lesson in gun safety.
News Channel 8's Judy Chong reports.

Eddie the Eagle teaches students The mascot Eddie the Eagle is teaching a very important lesson. A lot of households own guns, and you'd be surprised by how many children have found those weapons and played with them. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 1996 468 children around the country died as the result of accidental shootings. Many more were injured.

The message is simple and clear, and every grade at the Bucks Hill Elementary School in Waterbury will hear it today.

Treymaine Eason, 5th Grader: "I learned that you shouldn't touch a gun because it can just go off. If you see one in your friends home or on the ground, just leave it and go tell and adult and they'll handle it."

Fun is used with cartoon characters and a mascot in order to get the kids attention to drive home a basic and simple motto that could save their lives.

The New Haven County sheriff's department started this program 2 years ago after a child died in Naugatuck while playing with a gun. Parents here say the children are never too young to hear this message, and often.

Nancy Duleal, Parent: "It's gotta be a repetitive thing. The fact the eagle was up here talking to the kids today, that's great but children need repetition, they learn well from repetition."

At the end of the day, we asked a third grader if she remembered the motto from Eddie the Eagle.

Jazmen Acoo, 3rd Grader: "Stop, don't touch...ahhhhh...stop, don't touch, run away, tell a grown up."

So as you can see, children need to have the message reinforced. They are also given a cartoon workbook to bring home.

This program, originally started by the NRA, is sponsored by the New Haven County Sheriff's office. They hope todays lesson will also make parents who own guns to think more carefully about how the weapons are stored.

Today's News Page.

WTNH Home Page.