When I clean my gun, it's empty. The only objective hazard involved is that there's typically lead and propellant residue involved. That stuff is unhealthy. Once it's totally clean I'll put all the clean stuff (including the gun) into the safe, then wash my hands, face, and everything involved completely. Getting the lead and propellant residue off of everything pretty much handles any real hazards.

I can appreciate your concern about the sort of weirdness that comes up when anybody thinks or talks about guns.
The very first day my boy went to pre-school, he came back and asked, "daddy, do you have a gun?". It seems that all the boys were talking about guns and maybe their obsession with the subject was a little less than healthy.

My answer to the question was: "Yes. I do own a gun. Do you know what to do when you see a gun?"
My first firearms teaching moment with my 3-year-old son. The answer was this:
1) don't touch it.
2) tell a grown-up.

Guns are a fact of life. I think we can best serve our children by not being stupid about the facts.