I have two kids under 9 in the house so I keep the most conservative habits in terms of denying them access to any firearms and ammo. They know it would be off limits but as mentioned above, kids will be kids. The only firearm I feel needs to stay loaded is a handgun in a bedside safe. My rifles and shotgun are stored unloaded. I think the key is figuring out what works for you and keeping in mind the others that could have access based on where you store them. If there are ever kids around, especially if not all the time, then I'd keep it as tight as possible.