Heres what you need to know:
1. Treat a gun ALWAYS as if it were loaded, even if you yourself have checked it.
2. Never point a gun at anything unless you are fully prepared to, and fully intend to to destroy it.
Im a firm believer that those two things are the staple to handeling any firearm... if you can burn those two things into your brain or your kids brain, just like, "The stove is hot, dont touch it." We'd have much fewer accidents.
Oh, and dont forget those ear plugs when heading to the range