My e-mail to them:
I am not sure how many e-mails you have gotten on this – probably several by now, as it came to me by e-mail (the internet is quite the communications tool):
Anyway, please take a good look at you “Gun Safety” portion of your D.A.R.E. website: http://www.rocktondare.com/gun_safety.htm . Several blatantly misleading or simply false statistics are quoted and you reference the notoriously anti-gun “Center to Prevent Handgun Violence” as a source. C’mon, ask how many of your own agency’s officers lock their pistols and ammo separately - with trigger locks - in locked cases? Even the use of the highly politicized “trigger lock” term shows a political agenda, as there are several ways to properly secure a firearm without a “trigger lock.” The only reason it is mentioned is because your source organization has been involved in pushing legislation requiring such locks.
Also, the very good advice about teaching children what to do if they come across a gun was stolen and paraphrased from gun safety messages of the National Rifle Association (actually a part of the “Eddie Eagle program for children). Those guys have been on the forefront of providing training and safety guidance for years – the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence has focused their efforts on bans and meaningless, unenforceable, possibly dangerous (many people assume trigger locks are for LOADED weapons – a mistake that could and likely will cause a negligent discharge) legislation.
Just as all of your officers have guns, so do many in your community. You owe it to them and their families to provide meaningful advice, not politicized hyperbole.
Adam