Virginia Schoolkids to Get Gun Safety Classes

Schoolchildren in Virginia who aren't old enough to pack their lunches yet will soon start learning about packing heat as part of a new gun-safety curriculum backed by the NRA, FOXNews.com reported Saturday.

Schools can decide whether or not to offer the gun-safety education program to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Schools that do offer it must use the state curriculum, which includes rules used by the NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program.

The Eddie Eagle mascot advises children: "If you see a gun: STOP! Don't Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult."

The NRA's Eddie Eagle website says that the program's goal "isn't to teach whether guns are good or bad, but rather to promote the protection and safety of children."

Eddie Eagle does not promote firearm ownership or use and firearms are never used in the program, the website says.

"Like swimming pools, electrical outlets, matchbooks and household poison, they're treated simply as a fact of everyday life," the website says. "With firearms found in about half of all American households, it's a stance that makes sense."

Source: FoxNews.com