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Exposure to gun use in movies, television, and other forms of media may influence how children interact with guns when they find them. To determine the extent to which this may be true, researchers randomized 52 pairs of children 8 to 12 years of age to watch a 20-minute PG-rated movie clip, either with or without scenes involving gun use. The pairs were then allowed to play for 20 minutes in a secretly recorded room containing toys and games. Hidden in a drawer was a disabled real handgun with a trigger sensor. Primary outcomes were time spent holding the gun and the number of trigger pulls. Covariates included sex, age, race, guns in the home, and attitudes toward guns.
Of the 43 pairs of children who found the handgun, 22 (51%) handled it…