Out in the field the otherwise most conscientious people will allow their muzzle to point in your direction, especially when held over their shoulder walking across a field. Often these are the same folks who will remind me of safety precautions. It is always good to be reminded.
I agree, mentioning safe gun measures is a good idea. If done without someone being on the spot, they may be more receptive, recognizing in themselves the need for improvement.
I grew up in Missouri, spent time in Arkansas, and Texas.
When I would go out in the country with my trusty twenty-two or a shotgun, I would walk holding the gun with my hand over the trigger guard.
The gun was never pointed up. It was always pointed at the ground. I followed far enough behind the person in front of me that the gun would never be aimed at their feet, or in an angle that a round might ricochet off an object and hit them, at least as much as was humanly possible.
Even though the safety was on, I took no chance that a small branch would hit the trigger and fire the weapon by accident.
I took every precaution I could think of to prevent an accident.
Sometimes I see folks who take no precautions at all.
I’ve seen some folks wave high powered weapons across the field of a group of people, then within minutes attempt to correct someone else for something that wasn’t actually a problem.
It’s just strange the thinking of some folks.
The pointing of a weapon in the wrong direction is so deeply instilled within me, that when I went to a skeet range I was a very strange experience for me. The backdrop of the firing zone was an active freeway perhaps 300 yards perhaps a little more away.
It was so strange to be firing in that direction, even though the discharged amo would never reach the traffic.