tonight, on "20/20." a diane sawyer special. >> reporter: a year long investigation taking the pulse rate of america. >> we're just going door too door here. >> one in three of your neighbors on average have guns. do you know where they keep them, unlocked and loader. >> i have them in my juicy couture box. >> it's up there, mom. >> tonight, we went to find out. what kinds do when adults aren't looking. boys. girls. with a pink my first rifle. >> sometimes you don't know if they're a fake gun or a real

gun. >> what about parents who say put the guns in their hands? >> guns don't have to be bad. >> quench their curiosity. >> so, tonight, as we go house to house, and heart to heart, for all of the happy, curious children in your neighborhood, join us for a conversation about keeping them safe tonight. >> i don't think that's a bad idea. >> "young guns." here, now, diane sawyer with david muir. we hope to begin a conversation all of us together, about something happening around us and we truly want everyone to weigh in, people who have guns at home and people who do. >> we learned just this week, every hour in america, a child or teen sent to the house with a gunshot wound. so, is there something we can do to keep it from happening?

>> we want to be clear that tonight's not another debate on whether people should or should not have guns. we'll be checking online to find out what you're really thinking. we begin with a question, small children told not to touch a gun and what they may be doing when we're not looking. >> reporter: in homes across america tonight, from highfield lane to county road 170, from rural georgia to walnut avenue, in new jersey, every third house in the neighborhood on average has guns inside. some locked, some hidden, some out and loaded. 1.7 million children live where there are unlocked and loaded guns and friends come to play. >> there's one right there. it's pretty hard to find that one. >> it's up there, mom. >> sitting on the kitchen table. >> i have it in my juicy couture box. >> reporter: loaded guns on a bookshelf, under a pillow, in a backpack. even a diaper bag?

>> a handgun in a child's diaper bag. >> reporter: but so many of the moms and dads are certain they have taught their high-energy children do not touch and do not play with guns. >> they know the consequences of not being safe with it. >> they're not toys. they're to be respected. >> they are taught to not touch them at a young age. >> reporter: so, we wondered what are young children doing when parents are not looking. come with us to mcmannis school in st. petersburg, florida, which helped us find parents and kids nearly all of whom had been taught don't touch a gun and tell an adult. 44 children and we took half of them to reinforce that message. the st. petersburg police gave a safety class and they looked at the popular video from the nra eddie eagle. >> stop, don't touch, leave the area, tell an adult. >> reporter: the kids have it cold.

working with us, professor marjorie sanfillippo of eckerd college, a published expert on pediatric psychology and gun safety. and so, we are ready. with full permission of the parents, we put seven cameras inside a room. in toy bins. in the butterfly on the ceiling. and then, after a few days, the st. petersburg police give us guns -- real guns -- unloaded. we place them in a room, candy on the table nearby. and again, these are 44 good kids, most of whom know the rules by heart, and parents about to get the shock of their lives. as we begin this first group of boys are about to show you something you will see over and over again. >> aw, look. >> reporter: their words say don't touch that gun, but their bodies can't seem to help it. >> back away from it. >> reporter: think of it as a dance of temptation at the table. >> leave the area, tell an adult! >> reporter: and then around the room, even as they are chanting

the rules -- a total of 20 times. they know to do it but they do not. and six minutes after finding that gun -- >> don't touch! >> reporter: they touch and dance again. our second group of boys is about to do the same. >> don't touch. >> reporter: but they take only two minutes not just to touch but to pound the barrel. and then the third group. >> don't mess with it. >> reporter: within ten minutes they take the gun out and do this -- professor sanfillippo says that a scene is too often played out in real life. >> these 3-year-olds who shoot themselves in the head. for whatever reason it's a natural thing to look down the barrel. >> reporter: right afterwards, this young boy is narrating what he's doing as he's crossing the line. >> i'm touching it. i'm pulling it. >> reporter: his friend shows this is how you check to see if a gun is real.

>> i'm just seeing if it's real. >> reporter: finally after they've had time to play, they get around to those rules. >> help! help! we found a gun. two guns. i mean three! two guns. >> did you guys touch it when i was gone? >> no. >> yes, yep, yeah. >> you did touch it when we were gone? >> yep, we did touch it. >> you did, did you touch it? >> reporter: and then what happens with our fourth group of boys? well, professor sanfillippo has barely left the room when one of them sees the gun and in six seconds has pointed it at his face. they put it back, pull it out, put it back and then aim at each other. another child trying to figure out a gun by staring down the barrel. and what kid gets a gun in his hand and doesn't want to pretend he's in the movies? >> put the gun down!

>> dude, that is a real gun it's not funny. >> reporter: the professor and the police officer ask for clarification. >> we both know not to pull it. and the first thing we were going to do when you came back in was to tell you. >> and you did, you told me right away. and then picked it up and you pointed it at me. >> we weren't going to like fire it or anything because we're both smart enough to know not to pull it. >> reporter: here we are, four groups of boys and our expert says a powerful truth. >> they can learn the knowledge, they can sit down and we ask them to repeat it. but you can't educate curiosity out of a child. sflr so, you may be wondering, if there any kids who followed the rules and who were they? well, for one thing the girls seemed to follow them much better. only one girl out of 14 even touched a gun and most of them ran out for help. and there were also older boys who seemed to have more resistance. there in the red shirt is

10-year-old kendrick, who acts like a crossing guard for the younger boys. >> it's a real gun. >> reporter: he even tries to come up with a diversion. >> just take some animal crackers. >> reporter: and in another group, another older boy, 10-year-old ari. >> there could be real bullets in there. i don't know. >> maybe we'll shoot the window. >> we are not shooting anything, okay? >> out the window? >> yes, even the window. because if we accidentally hit that, it could cost the turtle's life. so whatever you do, do not touch the guns. >> reporter: professor sanfillipo asks ari to step out of the room to congratulate him on being careful around guns. >> you should be really proud of yourself. >> i am. when i saw the gun, i wanted to spring into action and i felt really good about that. >> no! >> reporter: but with ari now out of the room the younger boys are all alone. do 5-year-olds really grasp guns and danger?

when one the boys touches the gun, the other seems afraid and dives for cover. >> i'm gonna stay under the table, okay? i'm gonna stay under the table. >> nope, no bullets. >> no bullets? >> nope. >> reporter: the frightened boy comes out and pulls the trigger just to be sure. >> yeah, no bullets. >> reporter: no fear left, one child pulls the trigger on his friend and then himself. >> it didn't shoot. when i pointed it at me, it didn't. >> reporter: they know how to play dead, but as we saw over and over, do they really know what death is? >> we'll die. >> it's not until much later in childhood and in adolescence that children understand that death doesn't mean going to sleep. >> reporter: after our experiment, david muir sat down with some of the parents to watch the videotapes. a mom who said she'd been sheltering her son even from seeing violent movies or guns

on tv. >> oh, my god. i don't even like him watching the spiderman cartoons because it has violence and stuff in it. >> reporter: andrea bevan watching her 6-year-old and, by the way, his dad is in law enforcment. >> he was drawn to it, picked it up. pointed it at himself, clicked the trigger a few times. yeah, that's the toughest part to these guys, guns are about the same seriousness as crickets, frogs and cookies. >> reporter: another mom who thought her 4-year-old hadn't even seen violent media. >> that's scary. i have never shown him a gun and i didn't think he knew what they looked like. >> what were you pulling out? >> a gun. >> and what do guns do to you, when you pick them up and touch them? >> it can kill you. >> it can kill you. we walk away from them. and we don't be around people that have guns, okay? >> yes, mommy. >> okay.

>> yes, mommy. >> wow. >> reporter: and this mom who says she not only taught her son jayme about guns, but told him stories from her job. she works in a hospital operating room, where doctors try to save children from death by bullets. >> he knows what i do. where i work. >> reporter: jayme doesn't want to face his mom. >> oh, god, i'm not looking. i'm not looking. >> do you remember what your mom told you about guns? >> yeah. >> what did she tell you? >> like, sometimes they can be loaded or not and then like you're not supposed to like touch them or anything. >> what do you wish jayme? >> i wish you'd just delete that. >> but what else. >> i wish i hadn't touched the gun.

>> you wish you'd never touched the gun. >> i wish my mom hadn't seen it. >> reporter: overall, these were the results of our experiment more than half of the boys touched the guns even when promising not to. and the kids reinforced by eddie eagle and the local police fewer of them touched but a lot of them did too. >> why was the gun even in here. >> that's a very good question. you know why the gun was in here? because we wanted to see what kids would do if they found a gun. >> reporter: showing us what so many parents say they wish they had seen. >> it just never would've crossed my mind to ask them if they had guns. >> reporter: experienced hunters. >> and you know you can't go around saying that can never be me. i never thought i'd be that person either. >> reporter: and even the deputy sheriff policeman of the year and his wife who want to help everyone save another child by telling the story of a little boy and a gun way out of reach. next -- is hiding guns the solution? the kids who stun their parents, as our cameras roll. >> it's up there, mom.

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we're back recording all across america where as we said one in three neighbors on average has guns and a lot of parents are trying to hide them. >> i keep it in a closet far, far back where there's no way she could climb up and get to it at least at this point. >> i do have a high-powered rifle back in here, you can't even see it. >> to educate parents about guns, companies run videos like these, guns concealed behind a secret panel behind clothing in a closet in a hollowed out bible. and in so many houses a lot of children who think they know exactly where the guns are. >> we have a shelf up top and i think that's where it is.

>> i know where all of them are in the house. >> i could find it. >> the nra turned down a repeated request for the interview but recommends guns should be stored unloaded until ready for use and making sure they're not accessible to a child. the question for individual parents tonight, what is really inaccessible? david was there with stephanie and her 4-year-old, josh. she gets a surprise twice. she tells us that josh never pays attention and didn't know she had a gun in the corner of the bedroom. but josh makes it clear, he knew all along. >> how big is it? how big is mommy's gun? is it big? have you seen it? >> in fact, he takes us to corner where the gun used to stand. >> i'm curious, are you surprised he knows you have a gun? >> yes. >> what happens a month later? stephanie now sure the gun is really hidden on a top shelf in her bedroom closet.

we check in. josh is once again playing with his toy guns and once again his mother is wrong. >> where is your mom's gun? >> her closet. >> can you show us where the gun is? >> yeah. it's up there, mom. >> josh asks for a flashlight to point out the huge pump action shotgun. >> thanks. it's up there. i can't reach it. why did you move it? >> to keep it safe. >> you don't want anybody to take your gun? >> i don't want anyone to touch it. >> stephanie says at least the gun is unloaded. and, again, that question, do you really know what your child can do when following their curiosity? we've seen the pictures on youtube of children climbing refrigerators, impossible gymnastics to get what they want. you think a lot of people out there are living in denial? >> yes. >> i would have said the same

thing. it would have never happened to us. >> advice from deputy sheriff mark easter, 14 years in law enforcement honored as officer of the year. he and his wife, paris, an enchanting little boy, a 3-year-old named michael called little man. >> what the word started out as because he -- yeah, he had a strut. just certain people have that light about them and he just did. >> because policemen really do get threats, officer easter decided to store a loaded gun on top of a five-foot dresser in the parents' bedroom. it was there the whole time his girls were growing up. and little michael never came in that bedroom to play. >> was almost always, i no touch your gun, i no touch your gun. you thought it was out of reach? >> yes. a five foot tall dresser. >> i'd always preach to him, we never touch daddy's gun, do we? no, we never touch daddy's gun.

>> last march officer easter was five minutes out the door leaving for work when his wife calls. >> the sheer terror that she was portraying, i knew something horrific had happened. >> his wife just a few feet away from the room where michael never went to play. >> you were right in the other room? >> here i am just trying to clean up dinner, doing my house, make sure the front door is locked. i didn't realize he walked past me. had gone into our room. i heard the shot. >> do you know how he got to the top of the dresser? >> we don't even know. that will be with me for the rest of my life. what it looked like. and then i guess i didn't even notice that for a few seconds was -- i was the first one to hold him and i was the last.

>> michael was buried in his favorite outfit. a police uniform. >> he's the only 3-year-old little boy that i knew that would grab you with both hands by your face, daddy, look at me, look at me. he'd grab my face and say, i love you. >> this is the first time the easters have spoken publicly. and they say they can do it for only one reason. >> we're trying to do the best that we can to honor his memory. maybe we can help somebody else to avoid this tragedy so they don't have to go through what we do. >> what is your dream the day after people see this on tv? >> i just urge one family to go out and buy a safe. you're basically rolling the dice with your children's life. next, david mur with parents who say don't hide guns.

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for nearly a year now we traveled this country and now we hear from parents who say they're responsible gun owners, many of whom have taken another step, they put their guns into the hands of their children. >> are you ready? >> reporter: there are parents around the country who believe exposing their young children to guns is part of the solution. this is charlie. taking on a machine gun at age 4. we went to meet charlie and his family, and we found them at this gun party with other children. they've been to these parties before. this one, outside atlanta, where children learn to shoot. >> reporter: braden saul's 10 years old, putting in his earplugs, covering his ears.

the buckets of ammo. they check his grip. he's ready. >> reporter: the 6-year-old, shooting a .22. there are little girls, too, jordan is 8. the assault rifle comes next. all of the parents right there. jennifer is charlie's mom. >> i knew that he was safe, but it is actually funny because, in one part of the video, he looks to the side to look to me to ask for permission. guns don't have to be bad, they're good, they're fun. >> reporter: they are among the families in america who believe something else. that, by putting guns in the hands of young children it takes away the mystery. it helps to diminish their curiosity. charlie's dad, latham, who owns rustys rags he argues demystifying the gun is the answer. >> there's a lot of accidents that happen because kids aren't properly trained to use guns. so, it's either education or ignorance, is the way that we look at it.

i'd rather be the one showing our kids the proper way to use guns. >> reporter: he couldn't provide numbers about whether allowing young children to shoot really removes curiosity later when the parents aren't there. but he was adamant that the children at all of his gun parties have never had an accident at home. and, if you're wondering what happens to a child when a gun is put into their hands at such a young age, meet 14-year-old katie francis, just one example. she fired her first gun as a kindergartner. >> i make straight as. >> reporter: you get straight as? >> yeah, it's a policy at our house. >> reporter: katie took us out on the family farm in missouri, where after homework, this is what comes next. what are you shooting with today? >> my pistol, my shotgun, my rifle. >> reporter: stocking her ammo on her wais, we were about to see what she can do. then, her pistol. 17 shots in 17 seconds. katie is one of the top teenage

shooters in the country, outshooting men 20 to 30 years older than her. and who's next in her family? her 4-year-old sister, sagel, just recently shooting for the first time. you gotta know there are a lot of parents out there who will say -- >> they're gonna be outraged. they'll be outraged. >> reporter: at 4-year-old? >> you can't wrap your kids in bubble wrap. you can make them wear a seat belt every time they get into a car and they still may die in a car accident. >> reporter: so you stand behind your decision? >> absolutely, and i think that you have to, you have to start somewhere. you have to teach them responsibility with the weapon. if you don't, they're going to be curious and they're going to find it, and they watch tv, they know how to put their finger on the trigger and squeeze it. >> reporter: but, even for all the families who say they did it right taught their children the dangers of guns early, we heard about travis taylor, who says he did the same thing too. his boys on the farm in ohio all began shooting young. >> they'd been hunting since they'd really been able to walk with me.

i taught them all from a young age, no matter what, if you see a gun, you treat it like it's loaded all the time. >> reporter: he was outside working, they were in the garage. his 8-year-old, his 10-year-old inside. he heard a shot. >> trying to get him to wake up, he wouldn't wake up, i keep trying to feel for a pulse. no pulse there. >> reporter: his seven brothers shattered, too. >> i know he's not visibly here, but emotionally, he is. >> reporter: we ask the francis family who are now training their 4-year-old about the parents who say they taught their children about the dangers of guns too. >> you have to know their kids. >> reporter: they tell us they lock their guns now because even as that 4-year-old sagel learns to shoot, they fear she is still too curious just listen to him test her -- >> we never put --

>> our finger on the trigger. >> reporter: and if you think it's just dads who bring guns into the home believing it'll make the family, the children safer, our trip to oak forest, a sprawling neighborhood outside houston. where, a dozen cars arrive just as we do. and inside each one of them, mothers, grandmothers, a kindergarten teacher, all there with their guns. you all have these guns here to feel safer? >> yes, correct. >> reporter: maureen is a single mom. so you're not worried at all with a 3-year-old at home? >> i'm not. >> you keep it locked up? >> i don't keep it locked up. i keep it in a closet. behind the door. >> reporter: at home we meet her son, jonathan, showing me his video game, as his mother then upstairs shows us her hiding spot like so many of the other parents we met earlier, her gun unlocked and in the closet. >> in the closet by the baseball bat? >> reporter: her ammo nearby and so is her son, he sleeps right there in the bedroom with her. and among the women we've met along the way, another mom, who is also a kindergarten teacher. what kind of gun do you have? >> i have a 20 gauge pump action

shotgun. >> reporter: we've followed many of these families for nearly a year, that kindergarten teacher on a return visit revealing to us a close call, it happened during the night with her son. >> when he came in, the alarm system set off, i reached over for the gun and right away he's like "mom, mom." it made me think a tragedy could have happened. >> reporter: but, even with that scare, she believes that she and her family are safer with the gun. in fact, accidental shootings of kids in the home are down. karen clark, a mother and grandmother, that's where you carry your gun? in your makeup bag? she practices at the range once a week. we asked her about her three grandchildren, do you ever worry about whether or not they could get their hands on that gun? >> they all shoot. >> reporter: her trainer, kyle coplan, told us his daughter almost 3, will also soon shoot.

how long before she's got that bb gun in her hand? >> oh -- it depends on how good she is for christmas. >> reporter: but we wanted to know, even if you expose children to guns early, let them hold them, let them shoot them, can you be sure it will eliminate their curiosity? when you see the children you see that video of children, even the children who've been taught by their parents and they pick it up and they point it at themselves or point it at a friend? >> the children that have been properly trained and know how serious firearms are, are not going to be kids that are going into their parent's room and playing with their firearms. you kill the curiosity before the curiosity kills the kid. >> reporter: but what would you say to parents then who felt like they did exactly that? >> it's on the parent. sfwlr it's on the parent, he said. among them maureen, that single mom who showed us her unlocked gun, ready to go. and you're ready. >> i'm ready. next -- are parents ready for this? our hidden camera experiment. it's pink and it's flying off the shelves. but could you tell if it's real or a toy?

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>> reporter: for more than a decade there has been a powder pink gun on the market. it's one of the colorful guns called my first rifle. the company's mascot, davey crickett, which reminded us of that little character in pinocchio , jiminy cricket. and since 1996, sales have gone from 4,000 a year to 60,000 a year. >> there have been a number of research study to show that girls especially are attracted to pink colors. >> reporter: again, professor marjorie sanfillippo from eckerd college, an expert in child psychology. >> the gun industry has taken notice of this. >> reporter: and so we decided to head back to that school in st. petersburg, florida, specifically to see how girls would react to colorful rifles. this time, we're outside. police say they find weapons, particularly handguns, tossed into playgrounds around the country.

our hidden cameras inside the jungle gym, the bark on the ground, and an ex-marine makes sure the colorful rifles are safe, unloaded. keep in mind our first experiment, when girls pretty much ran away from these guns. >> i found a gun! >> reporter: but this time, watch as the girls come out to play and grab, rattle, giggle, and pull the trigger. >> oh, my gosh, why are there bazookas? >> i don't know. i think they're fake. >> i wanna shoot. >> this is how you use bazookas. >> can you shoot this? >> nope. >> cool! >> reporter: the girls indicate they're confused. these guns look like toys. >> i think those are guns. >> they're not real. >> don't play with them! >> they're fake. >> reporter: professor sanfillippo walks out. they tell her about their confusion because they can read and the gun says my first r-i-f-l-e. >> because it says "my first

ree-fil. >> this one says "my first rail-eef. >> and this one doesn't say anything. >> but, on the side it has "crickett rifle." >> and what does that mean? >> it's probably like a toy company or something. >> reporter: and in fact it's not on the rifle, it's only the box that warning -- this is not a toy. and use with adult supervision. the girls also indicate the color had thrown them off. >> it looks like it's fake. >> what's the pink one? i like the color of the pink one. >> i like the color of the pink one, too. >> i don't like that color. >> and that's a boy's color. >> yeah. >> reporter: later, one mom was completely stunned as she watched her daughter play a hunting game. >> it looks like a toy. it's crazy who makes toys like that for children? one of those who knew the rules. >> reporter: her daughter was

one of those who knew the rules. stop, don't touch. but says she just got swept up in something. >> yeah, i kind of forgot. >> kind of forgot. >> forgot yeah. >> you have to be very careful and remember. you're not going to touch a gun again right? you promise me? >> you guys didn't go tell an adult that there was guns on the playground? >> reporter: a father also license to his daughter try to explain. >> yeah. one was pink and one was like green, red and brown so we thought it was a toy. >> reporter: so what happened at the end of the day? well a lot of girls did tell adults. >> why are there guns here? >> don't touch, i'll be right back. >> reporter: but this time, 8 out of 23 of them also touched or played with the guns. we called the manufacturer, cricket rifles, to ask for interviews. ultimately, their lawyer called us back and said they are doing all they can for safety. the color is not that important since kids can't legally buy the rifles, it's their parents making the choice. he added they offer free safety locks and gun safety material in

the box. but, this little girl from our experiment has something she wants to say to them. >> i think they should make a rule, no making real guns look fake. because if somebody picks up a real gun, but it's painted pink, they might think it's a fake gun and just a toy and start shooting it around and actual bullets could come out. next -- an instrurder in the house. >> i think they're in the house. please help me, please. >> will your gun make a difference? the most important seven seconds of your life. >> dial 911. get out of the house now! ♪ [ alarm sound for malfunctioning printer ] [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you've learned a thing or two. [ metal clanks ] ♪ this is the age of knowing what you're made of. so why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? [ gears whirring ] talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex.

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and now, we want to look more closely at some of the choices people face at home. about guns. especially people who feel they need a gun at the ready in case an intruder comes and if they had to get it out of a gun safe it would be too late. 12-year old kendra st. clair is home alone in oklahoma. she hears someone trying to break in the front door. panicked, she calls her mother, debra. >> i got a call from my daughter, and i said, "kendra, get the gun and go get in my closet now." >> reporter: the loaded gun, from the gun box by the bed, it wasn't locked because her mother wanted easy access in an emergency. kendra takes the .40 caliber glock, calls 911, and hides in the bathroom closet. >> i think they are in the house. please help me. please." >> alright, alright. i understand. do you still have your mom's gun there? >> yes, i do. i have it in my hand. >> reporter: suddenly kendra sees the knob of the closet door turning and for the first time in her life she fires a gun through the door.

>> it kind of made me scared that i just shot somebody, and i was crying through the entire time. >> reporter: she hits 32-year-old stacey jones in the shoulder, scaring him out of the house. police arrest him a few blocks away and charge him with first degree burglary. and in another part of the country, there's eric martin, st. george, utah. he's in bed at 4:00 in the morning when a burglar breaks in. >> i rolled off the bed and reached into the nightstand and pulled out my gun. >> reporter: he's wearing night clothes to show what it was like when he confronted the intruder, defending his fiancee and her son who are still inside the house. >> so, as i chased him out of the house, he tried to jump over the wall and tripped as he did, rolling to the ground. >> reporter: and eric martin says the gun held him there until the police arrived. >> very important to me to be able to take care of my family. it's still there today, in that drawer, and it'll continue to be there. >> three people shot during an early-morning home invasion.

>> reporter: there's a kind of paradox in america tonight, even as violent crime has dropped dramatically over the last 20 years -- people tell us over and over, watching local news, they know they have to have a gun at the ready to protect themselves. >> what is your name? >> this is mother who puts her son through regular training for what to do if an intruder comes. >> back up! >> you don't have to shoot me. >> back up! >> you don't have to shoot me. >> reporter: and this mom who says she tries to tell her daughter the world isn't safe and that's why she has loaded guns on the kitchen table and standing against a wall. >> all those scary people? those people want to hurt us. >> reporter: criminology professor gary kleck, of florida state university, widely cited by the nra, he estimates 1.6 million americans use a gun for self-protection every year. and he says more than 97% of those who do emerge uninjured. >> for the average person, for the overwhelming majority of americans who are not criminals, it makes them safer. >> reporter: but you should know

other experts dispute kleck's numbers about self-defense. so, what about his argument that locking up a gun, say in a gun safe, can take too long? >> you're kind of groggy. and your shaking hands have to implement that combination and finally get the gun out. that could be a critical delay. >> reporter: this answer comes from the american academy of pediatrics and its 65,000 members. they say, while a safe might take longer, weigh that delay against the life of a child. >> you can't rely on anything to overcome a child's natural curiosity better than simply physically keeping the child away from a loaded gun. >> reporter: which takes us back to that mom who leaves her loaded gun on the kitchen table. as the cameras are rolling, her daughter has something to say to her. >> i want her to keep the guns so i don't have to see them. >> so you want me to hide it in the closet? would that make you feel better? okay.

why haven't you ever told me that? >> i have. >> reporter: the daughter has another revelation -- when her cousin came over, they touched the gun. >> he deared you to touch a gun? and who did you tell? >> i didn't -- >> you didn't tell anybody because this is the first time i'm hearing this story. you're not in trouble, by the way. >> he, um, asked me and asked me and asked me not to tell you. >> did you touch it? >> mm, yes. >> did you pick it up? >> no. >> and shame on me. i was here, and i let my guard down, and there were other kids here. so, now, i have to deal with that. >> reporter: so, we turned to a professional, state trooper

bill fearon of new jersey, who teaches firearm safety and agreed to show us what he does with his guns in his own home. >> so you have a safe? >> right, yes. >> reporter: and trooper fearon says if you want a gun, anyone can learn to get into a safe quickly. so we put a clock on him. he hears something downstairs -- moves to the safe. four seconds later he's punched in the sequence and has his gun. he loads it in another three seconds. which means, in seven seconds the gun is in his hand -- he's armed ready for any threat. >> police are on their way! get out of the house i am armed, do not come up here. >> reporter: he says have your protection, but minimize the risk to children around you. >> bottom line is, if you take the responsibility on to own a weapon, you're responsible for the safety and handling of that weapon. next -- the almost taboo question -- have you ever asked your neighbors if they have guns inside. >> we don't really talk about it. >> but it's the conversation that could save a child's life.

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"that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse." what will your verse be? >> reporter: what gorgeous dogs you have! hi, allison, so nice to see you. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: very nice to meet you. we knocked on doors on an all-american new jersey street to ask neighbors and friends, do they ever talk to each other about gun safety and children? >> i wouldn't know and no one has ever asked me. >> my children's friends' parents i don't call them when they say let's have a play date and ask, do you have a gun in your house? >> reporter: some of them told me it's kind of private. >> guns are never brought up. it's suburban usa we don't talk about it.

>> when it comes to swimming pools we put gates around them. i think parents would be surprised to see which friends. >> one parent and parent of three older children agreed to come with us. to talk about something they never did kiss ud. >> i don't know if rodney has a gun. he's my neighbor. >> i have rivals and handguns. >> reporter: if i asked you to show me where you keep them? >> i wouldn't. >> reporter: none of my business? >> yeah, i guess so. >> reporter: from another room, the mom of the family, who didn't want to go on camera, told us she's not entirely at ease. >> i'm not completely comfortable. i would like everything to be secure, and away and locked up. >> reporter: young boys playing upstairs, the daughter comes down.

but a conversation about neighbors and gun safety is one thing when i knock on the door and it's quite another when they do. >> do you have a few minutes. i want to talk to you about guns. would it hurt to ask them if they had guns and if they're locked up? i mean, what's the worst they can do? >> reporter: christine and ron holt lived on a quiet cul-de-sac. their son brandon loved to play next door and they knew their neighbors liked to hunt but never asked about guns. last april, the neighbor's 4-year-old child got a hold of his father's .22 caliber rifle and accidentally killed their son. the neighbor who owned that gun, is now facing a possible trial and 50 years in prison for endangering the welfare of a child. but it doesn't help the holts who can only knock on the doors with what they believe is the answer. >> i think, if we could just get one person who doesn't lock their guns up, to please lock up your guns.

because you can't teach a 4-year-old not to touch a gun. they're 4. >> reporter: one answer from the holts, as parents across this country will have other things to say when they get the conversation started. >> i don't think that's a bad idea. >> reporter: maybe we will start that tonight. talking about all of our children playing together. curious, happy children, everyone wants to be safe. the california drought just went from bad to worse. >> next, a live report on how

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