By all means teach the children respect for, and safety with firearms. But understand that children, all children, at some point think that they know what they are doing regardless of what their parents told them. No hiding place is safe, and many children have been hurt or killed by guns kept "hidden" on the top shelf of a closet or some place similar. And even if your kids are well educated and responsible, there well might come a day when a friend is at your home and, for example, bragging that his dad has the best gun ever. Or even, when your child says that "Dad has a gun but I am not allowed to touch it" and the friend says something like "I don't believe you, show me!".
My kids are grown and gone, but I have grandchildren here often. Every gun I own is under lock and key or physically on my person. I have two GunVault handgun safes, one in my bedroom and one in the lower level of my home, both with loaded handguns. The GunVault won't stop a determined and capable burglar, but are more than strong enough to stop curious or troubled kids.
You could likely ignore all of the comments on this thread and leave a loaded handgun in your bedside table and never have a problem. But the consequences of that small chance of having a problem are too enormous to be ignored.