Parents Urged To Ask About Guns In Houses Of Their Child's Playmates

DENVER (CBS4) - Doctors in Colorado are encouraging parents to ask a vital question when they go and visit a friend's house: Is there a gun in the house?

If the answer is yes, doctors want parents to then ask if the parents unload it and lock it away.

"Children know where that gun is. If it's laying on a table, they are going to find it in any case, but if it's laying on a table then it could lead to an unintentional terrible injury," said Dr. Harold Koch.

Koch made those comments on Thursday at the Colorado State Capitol as part of a program called Asking Saves Kids, which was created by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The U.S. Government Accountability Office found the program is one of the most effective ways to protect kids from firearms.

Experts say child suicides, gun injuries and deaths are on the rise in Colorado. And there's an increased risk over the summer when kids have more free time.

The event was held on Thursday to spread awareness about Asking Saves Kids Day, or ASK Day, which is on June 21.