The Louisiana Law Enforcement for Gun Safety (LLEGS) was created in 2013 in response to the high rate of accidental firearm injuries and deaths among children in Louisiana. Louisiana currently ranks the second in the nation in such accidents. The mission of LLEGS is “to deliver an educational program to the state’s youth promoting gun safety and awareness in an effort to reduce the risks of these accidents.” The program is designed to educate all ages of the hazards of unsecured firearms, the necessity of safely maintaining firearms, to dispel unrealistic beliefs about distinguishing between real and toy guns, and to illustrate the destructive force of firearms. Presentations are taught by certified Louisiana law enforcement officers and teach children what to do in the event they find unattended guns, the consequences of playing with guns, and the damage bullets cause. Afterwards, a live fire demonstration is given in which instructors shoot a watermelon inside a bulletproof tank to reinforce the enormous destruction capability of a firearm.
“We have eight school resource officers that are trained to teach the LLEGS program. Since the fall of 2013 the NPSO Youth Services Division has conducted numerous gun safety demonstrations to young people and adults at schools, health fairs, camps and community events in Natchitoches and neighboring parishes.” Chief Wendy Llorens said.
Sheriff Jones said “the safety of our children has always and will continue to be a priority in Natchitoches Parish”.
For more information or to request a LLEGS demonstration please contact NPSO Youth Services at 318-357-2239.
We used to take a course in gun safety where I grew up. It was a requirement, and we did it in gym class. Now, Alabama has as many hunting rifles and handguns as any other Southern state, but back then it was unheard of to mess with your daddy’s or granddaddy’s guns. Doing so got you a whippin’ from Daddy (and Paw Paw if required), tears and a good talking to from your mother, and a long couple of weeks without TV. Actually shooting the gun got you worse: Every Saturday instead of playing with friends or going to a movie, you spent hours under your mom’s supervision raking pine straw and picking up pine cones.
When did we stop punishing our kids with hard labor and loss of privileges? Worked for us.