Alphecca

Eddie Eagle in Crosshairs

You'd think a program such as the NRA's Eddie Eagle, a coloring book warning children to stay away from guns and to tell an adult if they find one would be welcome in a liberal community. WRONG! From the Racine (WI) Journal Times:

Eddie Eagle - a feathered National Rifle Association cartoon character who teaches children how not to handle guns - could actually be harmful, says an alderman opposed to a Police Department plan to use Eddie in programs for children.

The City Council will decide Tuesday whether the Racine Police Department can order hundreds of coloring books from the NRA for no charge and use them in conjunction with lectures the department holds with children.

[...]

Opposition Alderman Pete Karas, who is leading the charge against the police department's efforts, said the booklets are harmful and ineffective, teaching children that guns are for adults, which could further a child's interest in the weapons.

"These are things that usually aren't brought up to children," Karas said. "This is an introduction."

But the NRA's Eddie Eagle can help children of all ages know not to touch guns, to leave the area where they found the gun and to find an adult, "and that's the only thing the gun program teaches," said Sgt. Bill Macemon, Racine Police Department spokesman.

Karas isn't so sure.

"At first glance you look at this and say it's OK," he said, "(but) by making kids aware of guns ... they may, in essence, be harming children, especially those who are contemplating juvenile suicide or juvenile homicide."

And of course, if you read the quotes from him again, it would seem that schools shouldn't broach the subject of cigarettes and warn kids about them because cigarettes are for adults and if children hear about them, they'll... You get the idea.

The article itself is quite fairly balanced, with numerous quotes on both sides of the issue, including the usual hysterical ones from WAVE.