Dropped magazine, checked chamber and no firing pin regardless, there's no way in the seventh circle I'd allow my kids to be in such an environment for a "test."
Yes, that to me sounds like a recipie for disaster. All you need is that one FBI agent 'I am the only one professional enough' to accidentally get the deactivated gun and his duty weapon switched' Further, couldn't this be used against the cops? Imagine later at court for some unrelated incident. The defense attourney says 'so, we should rely on your judgment, you are a good person, a law enforcment officer and all that...tell me, yes or no, have you ever given a child a real gun?"
I think you guys are totally right. A kid is still a kid and 5, 7, 10 year olds, you can only hope your training sticks. But even still, it isn't a one time only 'don't play with guns' it is repeatedly telling them the rules. This is the same with drugs, smoking, sex. You don't just one time in passing declare 'drugs are bad' it is something you must teach them by repeatedly bringing it up, time and time again, so they know what is expected of them and that it is important to you, and that they understand the consequences in the form of how it can harm them AND how you will punish them if they are caught doing it.
And yes, there is a huge difference between a gun tossed into a box of toys they are told to play with and opening a desk drawer in the neighbor's home office and seeing a gun. Context is very important. In the same manner, lets say you have never seen a kel-tec 380 pistol before. (or just imagine the next new supersmall polymer 380 that hasn't been invented yet) now, spraypaint it red, and toss it in a box of toys. Do you think your kids would spot it as a real gun rather than a toy one? Would you? What if in addition to coloring it, a white plastic plug with a pinprick hole was placed in the barrel...to simulate the look of a squirt gun, and the slide was superglued so that it wouldn't rack, unless you really really forced it. Sure, it goes click when you pull the trigger, and a magazine pops out....etc etc. You start mixing guns in with toys in a play area and you are attemtping to dictate the outcome of the test.