Historically speaking, man has always found ways to kill other men. As long as some desire to do away with others, does it not make prudent sense to protect oneself to the best of one's ability?
The first layer of protection is to avoid the places where conflicts arise. The next layer is to use one's intellect to de-escalate whenever possible. The final step is to defend oneself.
Yet, there are many times when innocent bystanders get harmed or killed. There is no possibility of protecting oneself.
In the case of Alec Baldwin, even if the pistol was loaded wrong with live ammo, what the hell was he doing pointing the gun in the direction of people without knowing it was safe?
Simply put, he was responsible for his failure to safely handle the firearm. Rule #1 - never point a gun in the direction of anyone - keep it safe - loaded or unloaded.
Constant reminders must be given because it is easy to let up the vigilance of muzzle discipline and point a muzzle towards another human. And then what? Saying you are sorry does not cut it.
Andy, Uwe, Eric and Peter, are always spot on with their reminders of gun safety. They make sure the Ross-Tech shooters know where the muzzle is pointed and where fingers should be when a gun is loaded and ready to fire.