Winnecke’s Traveling City Hall to Feature Gun Safety Presentation

A special Traveling City Hall meeting featuring a presentation on the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program will be held this Saturday, July 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Eastland Mall near the central court area. The Eddie Eagle program is geared toward children who are considered too young to be allowed to handle firearms. Eddie Eagle the mascot will make an appearance, and door prizes will be awarded near the end of the meeting. Eddie Eagle coloring books, stickers and commemorative coins will be given away free to children while supplies last.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke will open the session and introduce elected officials and department heads. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe presentation will be conducted by representatives from the Evansville Police Department. The program teaches children how to avoid causing harm if they find a firearm by training them to “STOP! Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.”

“We want to get the message through to kids, if you see a gun don’t touch it,” said Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin. “We don’t want children to think it’s a toy gun and accidentally shoot somebody.”

Development of the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program by the National Rifle Association was in response to the increased number of new stories and situations involving children and firearms. Bolin said there have been a few recent situations locally were citizens have found loaded guns in alleyways and once at a shopping center parking lot.

Bolin said Eddie Eagle will be introduced at the Traveling City Hall to catch the attention of kids from age of 3 to those in middle school, and EPD’s Officer Friendly school liaison program will incorporate the Eddie Eagle GunSafe message during the upcoming school year.

The gun safety presentation will be followed by a question and answer session and an opportunity to talk one-on-one with Mayor Winnecke and other officials about issues related to local government.