From Eric Lipp, Manager of the Law Enforcement Division's popular Eddie Eagle program:

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program is happy to announce that they recently received grants from The NRA Foundation. Grants are awarded through revenue raised by the Friends of NRA for eligible educational programs.

New Friends of NRA Grants were awarded by the State Fund Committees from the following states: 

• Central California ($3,000)
• Arizona ($7,000)
• New Mexico ($2,500)
• Idaho ($2,000)
• North Carolina ($1,000) and 
• Arkansas ($5,000)

The Foundation grants allow the Eddie Eagle Program to provide Eddie Eagle materials – including workbooks, DVDs, and stickers – absolutely FREE of cost to law enforcement agencies, schools and educators, day cares, hospitals, and libraries.

These grants make it possible for the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program to reach thousands of children every year with Eddie Eagle’s lifesaving message:

“STOP! DON’T TOUCH. LEAVE THE AREA. TELL AN ADULT.”

The funding is easy to use. Qualified users simply call 1-800-231-0752 and ask for ordering assistance using grant funding.

Learn more about the Eddie Eagle program.

The NRA's Law Enforcement Division is turning 50!

You've read about the commemorative coin police officers will receive when attending an armorer school or training school, or taking part in one of the division's many competitions.

The NRA Program Materials Center offers a few items anyone can purchase, including the badge in the photo at left.

Officer Shay Wash of the Wichita Police Department held a press conference yesterday to introduced Eddie Eagle® to the community. A product of the 2009 nationwide Eddie Eagle® mascot costume contest, Wichita is one of many departments around that nation that received a mascot costume free of charge. So now that he's in town, where will Eddie be appearing?

"Our hope is to include a visit from Eddie Eagle at school assemblies, safety fairs, and other special events we are presenting to children," proclaimed Officer Wash.

Reaching over 23 million children since its inception in 1998, the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program teaches pre-K through the third grade children simple, effective rules to follow should they encounter a firearm in an unsupervised setting: “If you see a gun: STOP! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.”

You can watch the press conference here.

For more on the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program, call the Eddie Eagle® Department at (800) 231-0752 or visit www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/.

Tales of Eddie Eagle and his life saving message continue to pop-up around the country. Here's a recent story from WMBB News in Panama City, Florida:

Eddie Eagle Instructs Students on Gun Safety

The Holmes School District is now one of more than 26-thousand school systems, law enforcement agencies, and civic groups that have used The Eddie Eagle Gun Safe Program. Since 1988, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA’s) Eddie Eagle program has reached over 22 million youngsters nationwide. Sergeant Danny Garner with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Services Division with the assistance of Eddie Eagle and McGruff made the presentation before all the pre-k through second-grade classes at Ponce de Leon Elementary School.

Sgt. Garner went over the main instructions offered by the Eddie Eagle program. If a child finds a gun, he or she should “Stop” and “Don’t Touch”. In today’s society, where adult supervision is not always possible, the direction to “Leave the Area” is considered essential. The final step is “Tell an Adult” which emphasizes that children should seek a trustworthy adult, neighbor, relative or teacher if a parent or guardian is not available.

Continue reading the story here. And let us know about any Eddie Eagle activities in your community. We'd love to share it here on NRAblog.

Deputy Sheriff Leia Loveday finished up the year 2009 with 19 days of the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program. Deputy Loveday was able to reach over 500 kids in kindergarten through 2nd grades at Sevierville Primary School, in Sevierville, Tennessee.Spending on average about 1½ hours with each class, Deputy Loveday used visuals and group work to make the lesson as enjoyable as possible. “We had a blast!” Loveday said. “Our principals were very supportive. This program makes a huge impact on our community.”

This being her first year teaching the program, we want to thank Deputy Loveday for going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the safety and well being of the children in her community.Find out more about the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program.

The 2010 Tactical Police Competition on June 19 – held right here in Fairfax – now has online registration.

To register, go here and fill in the blanks. SAVE it on your computer, and then email a copy of your saved file as an e-mail attachment to LEcompetitions@nrahq.org.

Not sure if Tactical Police Competition (TPC) is for you? You don't have to be an NRA member to enter this match, but you must have military or law enforcement credentials. These will be required before you are able to compete. No competition guns are required; your duty gun is adequate. The nice folk in Law Enforcement Competition even have loaner patrol rifles and shotguns they'll be happy to share.

More...

From Friends of NRA website:

Although the NRA's involvement with law enforcement dates back to the 1920s, our Law Enforcement Activity Division, or LEAD, as we know it today, was formed as a department in 1960. Since then, LEAD has trained more than 50,000 law enforcement instructors.

To commemorate LEAD's 50 years of service to law enforcement and military officers of the country, a special Model 10 Smith & Wesson service revolver was created, and a matching commemorative badge was developed exclusively for Friends of NRA Events.

Each Smith & Wesson Model 10 features the original design wood duty grips; blue carbon steel medium frame with a 4" barrel with front/rear fixed sights. All are chambered in .38 SW Special +P caliber and have a 6 round capacity. Each is sequentially numbered on the frame in 24K Gold and includes the same matching number NRA Law Enforcement Commemorative badge. The badge was made by Smith & Warren, a long time provider of police badges and includes the NRA Law Enforcement Division Logo with the anniversary dates of 1960-2010. The badge includes an NRA display box. The cylinders on the Model 10 include the following text: Dedication ; Compassion; Courage; Honor; Duty; Service in 24K gold plating. The hammer and trigger have been hand jeweled and the barrel includes etch and selective 24K Gold plating text: NRA Law Enforcement - 1960 50th Anniversary - 2010.

This exclusive edition is limited to 50 units and can only be found at limited 2010 Friends of NRA Events. Find yours now, and stay tuned to NRAblog for updates on which events will feature these service revolvers.

Bill Campbell, Adjust Instructor for NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division, recently wrote an article for PoliceOne.com on muzzle safety. Take a look:

Remember the Safety Circle when muzzling your gun

For the past 12 years, the NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division has taught the concept of the Safety Circle in Firearms Instructor Development courses offered nationwide. Throughout the past decade, I’ve seen the concept renamed and re-taught at many training conferences and courses, but occasionally I still find that officers and agencies are unfamiliar with it.

What is the Safety Circle?

The Safety Circle was first introduced by my friend and mentor Clive Shepherd as he developed some of the NRA LEAD's training courses. Clive’s intent in teaching the concept was for officers to have a place to point the muzzle when a downrange direction did not necessarily exist, or when working in and around other people who did not need to be shot or muzzled.

On the range, we usually think that the targets or the berm are safe places to point the muzzle. Clive recognized that on the street, downrange may not be so easy to recognize and innocent citizens and other officers may well occupy that space. The Safety Circle reflects the idea that there may not be a recognizable “safe place” to point the muzzle. Therefore, Clive taught the concept of finding the safest place to point the muzzle when the firearm is drawn.

Click here to read the rest of Bill's article.

NRAblog was thrilled to be invited to the Safariland booth yesterday for a very special SHOT Show event. Safariland, a premier provider of law enforcement products and services, delivers a full-range of customer-specific solutions and devotes itself to saving lives.

Safariland Saves Club honors law enforcement officers who have been saved in the line of duty while wearing Safariland body armor. The program aims to bring attention to the dedicated police officers who serve and defend. Of all officers nationwide who have been saved by body armor, Safariland estimates  two of every three were wearing the company's armor.

Above, view a slideshow of the complete ceremony, which kicked off at 11 a.m. yesterday. The following officers were honored during the presentation:

NRAblog was not surprised to learn our friends at Northwest Territorial Mint got involved and assisted the Saves Club. A commemorative coin was unveiled yesterday which is given exclusively to members of the Club. 

• Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Detective Jared Reston
• Cedar City (Utah) Police Officer Jason Thomas
• Missouri State Trooper Cody Dunfee

Safariland Saves Club liason Ed Hinchey, also a member of the Club, emceed the program. Hinchey serves as Safariland's armor technical specialist and is a retired officer. “Nothing reflects the spirit of Safariland and its people more than the Safariland Saves Club,” he said. Hinchey is pictured above.   “With each product we make, we put the emphasis on protecting the lives of those who use them.” After introducing each officer, Hinchey would tell the crowd a little more about the events of each incident.

"You're being too humble," he said, touching on some of the brave acts of each officer. As soon as each officer had addressed the crowd, Hinchey invited family members in attendance, including his wife and daughter, to join the heroes onstage. The crowd gave the crew several hearty rounds of applause, and the booth was packed with onlookers. 

Learn more about Safariland, and if you’re here in Vegas at the SHOT Show, stop by and say hi at booth #12360.

Anniversaries are special occasions. Usually, those celebrating the distinguished event are lavished with thoughtful gifts from family and friends alike. NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD) has turned the table ... just a bit.

To celebrate their 50th Anniversary, LEAD has issued a commemorative challenge coin. With the NRA Seal on one side and a special 50th Anniversary badge on the other, this coin is sure to be a favorite for all. Unfortunately, all can not own one.

Ownership of these coins is restricted to a select few. Only those who attend a LEAD school, training seminar, or competition will receive this coin. And for those of you asking that all important question; no, they are not for sale in any stores. Don't worry thought - some LEAD 50th Anniversary items are.

For a 50th Anniversary memento of your own, visit our Program Materials Center page at http://materials.nrahq.org/go/home.aspx. Scroll down and click on the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Items link under Law Enforcement. From there you can choose a badge, an embroidered logo, and more. And be sure to keep checking back as new items should be added throughout the year.

LEAD has long worked to support the efforts of law enforcement throughout the land. In addition to classes and tournaments, LEAD offers the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, the Jeanne E. Bray memorial scholarship fund, and a life insurance benefit program.

Remember Andrew Williams? The NRA Certified Instructor and Training Counselor hails from Trinidad and Tobago, and first met NRAblog at the 2008 National Police Shooting Championships.

Pictured at right, Williams presents Major Otmar Puljun from Suriname with his NRA Pistol Instructor Certificate. We thank him for the following update:

"Major Puljun was in Trinidad and Tobago for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting where he met Andrew Williams and was introduced in being NRA certified."

"Major Puljun is the first person to be NRA certified in Suriname," Williams continued.

"After completing the course, he said he would be carrying the new information back to his country and updating his training programs."

Do you have an update on an NRA program in your area? Drop us a line at GOblog@nrahq.org.

Thanks to Walt Hinton, who NRAblog has had the pleasure of meeting at several NRA events, for passing along the following article. It ran in his company newsletter's "Outside the Office" column:

About 10 times a year, Walt Hinton, a Rosslyn-based industrial security representative, has mere seconds to make every shot count. He travels the coast, networks with law enforcement officials, and shoots a pistol for 45 minutes straight during national police pistol combat competitions, sponsored by the NRA, of which he is a Life Member.

In 26 years of competition, Hinton has traveled to nine states, collected more than 50 trophies and participated in over 150 competitive matches, including two championships at the national level. He has also ranked in the top 25 and among the top 50 competitors four years in a row in the California Police Pistol Association.“It’s a pleasure to attend these competitions,” says Hinton. “We talk about training, meet old friends, and have an opportunity to gauge our training and skills against some of the best Municipal, County, State, Federal, Industrial and Military Law Enforcement officers in the country.”

A typical competition consists of 60 rounds, fired in five stages, each timed. Ideally, a competitor attempts to accumulate the maximum point value for a particular stage with turning targets. For example, a stage includes 24 rounds, with six shots from four positions – sitting, prone, standing left hand barricade and standing right hand barricade from 50 Yards, with a possible score of 240.

His passion for shooting keeps him busy during the season from March through October. An ex-military policeman, Hinton was hooked from his first competition at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where he was serving as a Military Police.

“Through competitive shooting, officers are given an opportunity to perform under pressure, to gain confidence that they can perform "on the street," and to add to their training repertoire some of the finer aspects of shooting - which could someday save lives”, explains Hinton.

His most recent competition, the National Police Shooting Championship in Albuquerque, N.M., is considered the United States “World Series” of shooting sports, and draws several hundred marksmen from around the country. There, he won numerous competitions, including first place in Sharpshooter and Marksman Classification. He also placed in the top five for other categories such as Revolver, Semi-Automatic and Open Class Revolver, totaling eight trophies in the Industrial Law Enforcement Category. More...

NRAblog was excited to read that our very own Eddie Eagle is included in one community's holiday outreach effort. From the Yuma Sun:

Make way for the Santa Train

Santa Claus and his volunteer elves will be delivering candy to area schoolchildren this week and are asking for help from motorists.

Volunteer Georgia Caley said American Legion Post 19 and the Yuma Fire Department are once again holding their annual Santa Train Run.

The Santa Train will be visiting 23 schools in Yuma and Somerton through Thursday, distributing 11,000 bags of candy to preschoolers through third-graders.

Continue reading here. Is Eddie Eagle in your community? Drop us a line, or a photo. You may end up featured at NRAblog! 

"NRA’s relationship with the nations law enforcement community is an enduring one, reaching back through generations of lawmen and women," Glen Hoyer, Director of NRA Law Enforcement Activities Division, told NRAblog. "NRA Law Enforcement Firearm Instructor Training has trained well over 50,000 firearm instructors since 1960. Many branches of the U.S. Military also attend this training in addition to the countries law enforcement officers."

The Law Enforcement Activities Division celebrates the 50th anniversary of its training department this year. The badge, pictured above, honors this accomplishment.

Stay tuned for more on the history of this division.

A mere week after bringing Sig Sauer into town, the gang at NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD) are at it again. Today, they're hosting a new group of instructors for the Smith & Wesson armorer school.

LEAD Armorer schools are held year-round here at NRA headquarters and various other locations throughout the United States to ensure that those who protect us have the most current information when it comes to the maintenance and operation of their firearms. Free to any law enforcement officer, civilian employed by a law enforcement agency, or any active duty of the United States armed forces (including reservist), these schools have understandably become quite popular. So if you wish to attend, you better sign up early.

Most classes generally focus on the disassembly, repair, reassembly and functioning of the firearms. Those who attend today's class, held by Smith & Wesson, will receive a three year factory certification upon completion.

These courses, seminars and training schools are donated by participating companies as a way of giving back to law enforcement. For additional information, please call the Law Enforcement Activities Division at 703-267-1640. Good Luck!