’20/20′ shocker

ABC’s ”20/20” uses hidden cameras tonight for a startling look at kids and guns.

In a unique experiment, ”20/20” placed real guns, unloaded and disabled, in the playroom of a day care center. After telling the children not to play with guns, ”20/20” secretly videotaped the kids’ chilling reactions upon discovering the firearms.

”I think every expert who was with us and saw what happened was surprised and shocked,” said Diane Sawyer, who hosts tonight’s ”20/20” segment (10 p.m. on Ch.7).

”The resulting behavior was something you’ll never forget,” Sawyer said. ”The kids were pointing the guns at each other, blowing on the ends of the barrels and staging full-out shootouts.

”Then, when they ‘killed’ someone, they went over to a plastic phone and pretended to call 911.”

Sawyer said it’s easy to pinpoint where the children learned this behavior.

”I don’t think there’s any doubt it’s TV and media of all kinds,” she said. ”It’s everywhere they look.”

Express Lines:

*Gov. Jesse Ventura sits down for an interview tomorrow on CNBC’s ”Tim Russert” (6 p.m.).

*Court TV will re-air the original ”Homicide” pilot tonight (11 p.m.) – directly after the series finale on NBC.

*Ratings: ABC’s ”GMA” is up 26 percent in viewers since January. ”CBS News’ This Morning” was up 9 percent in households (May 10-14).

* Ch.4’s ”GameDay New York” kicks off its new season on Sept. 12 in a new timeslot during ”Sunday Today in New York.”

*ABC has brought Agnes Nixon back as head writer for ”All My Children” – the show she created in 1970.

*On Sunday’s ”Leon Charney Report” (WNYW/Ch.25): An exclusive interview with new Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak taped last year in Israel.

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