ST. LOUIS — 5 On Your Side teamed up with a gun expert to find out how kids would react if they found a gun while playing.
Seven kids took part in the experiment at the 5 On Your Side studio. Our team used eight cameras, six microphones and six air-soft guns in this experiment.
Our staff hid the air-soft guns in a room full of toys. The children played in the room while their parents watched them from a different room. The children were on camera, but they did not know it at the time.
The first group of children ranged from 3- to 6-years-old. Three of the four children picked up the guns they found and played with them. It brought two of the moms who watched the experiment to tears.
One mom says she became emotional watching her son play with the fake gun because it looked so real.
There were three kids in the second group. They ranged in age from 4- to 6-years-old. Their playtime in the room ended quickly. One of the kids found an airsoft gun right away. He put the gun down and another child ran from the room to get a parent.
Firearm instructor and former police officer Steven King said the child who ran from the room did the right thing. King says kids should stop when they see a gun, avoid touching it, leave the area and tell an adult they found the gun.
King is also an NRA member and owner of Metro Shooting Supplies in Bridgeton and Belleville. He encourages parents to teach their kids about gun safety, even if they don’t have a gun in the house. He said kids can find a gun in their friend’s house.
He also encouraged parents to make sure their guns are safely secured. He also encouraged parents to check with the parents of their children's friends to make sure their guns are safely secured too.
King said parents can check out the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program to help educate their children about gun safety.
Washington University released a study last year to help doctors feel more comfortable talking to parents about gun safety. The study showed out of nearly 1,300 parents from Missouri and Illinois, nearly 40 percent had guns in their homes and less than 13 percent of these parents asked the parents of their kids' friends about household firearms. If you would like more information on the study, click here.