Gun safety is extremely important, especially in regard to children. In today’s climate, kids see guns everywhere, from TV to the news and even social media. And shooters understand the allure of these very important tools of defense, which is why gun-owning parents need to teach their children the 4 Steps of Gun Safety.

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To help in this endeavor, the National Shooting Sports Foundation partnered with the National Crime Prevention Council to produce two new videos. And to do this, the groups brought in a remnant of days past — McGruff The Crime Dog. They also included his nephew Scruff.

Danger Pigeon Studios used animated characters to hold the interest of young children. In fact, they even geared these short videos to specific age groups. The first, Molly’s Mischief, teaches kindergartners to second graders about what to do if they come across a gun. The second, “Not Cool, Kyle,” explains gun safety to third to six graders. Both, however, go over what kids need to do if they see a gun — Stop! Don’t touch! Get away! Tell an adult.

“We encourage parents, school administrators and teachers to show children these ‘McGruff Gun Safety’ videos and make sure they understand the powerful safety message they deliver,” said Steve Sanetti, NSSF CEO. “Through this collaboration with the National Crime Prevention Council, we hope to teach children nationwide how to make good, safe decisions around firearms.”

The McGruff titles also are included on the NSSF Firearms Safety DVD along with five other firearms safety videos. People can also access additional firearm safety materials at ProjectChildSafe.org.

Importance of the 4 Steps of Gun Safety

It is easy to understand the usefulness of teaching kids about gun safety. In fact, the concept is very simple. Kids need to know that they shouldn’t touch a gun without a responsible adult present. They should also let an adult know if they find an unsecured firearm. However, to truly understand the potential danger parents must make gun safety a lifetime activity.

Every single time that a parent or other responsible adult takes a young person shooting he or she should conduct a short safety presentation covering the main gun safety rules at least. They should also go over what kids should do if they come about a gun — Stop! Don’t touch! Get away! Tell an adult! And these tools can really help teach the 4 Steps of Gun Safety, all while bringing back some memories of childhood.