In the olden days, a gun was a tool. Open the tool shed out at the log cabin: rake, shovel, grass whip, twelve guage, pick. I go to my uncles cabin: loaded .303 in the outhouse (bear country). People respected and learned to use guns safely just like a chainsaw.
Nowadays, people have been encouraged to avoid firearms as youth. They are not inculcated with our true "Gun Culture": that of hunting, trap shooting, and so on. As a result, they lack the respectful familiarity with firearms that growing up in a gun-owning house engendered. Notice I say 'familiarity' not proficiency. Familiarity, respect, and responsibility are the pillars of training to proficiency, so even if we were not good with guns, we were good enough not to abuse our rights and or our fellow citizens.
Today, that cultural vacuum regarding firearms has resulted in not only members of the armed forces being poor handlers, but just about every cop in the country as well. We have an epidemic of NDs.
As well, culture abhors a vacuum. Our Canadian gun culture has been replaced with a Kingston/Compton/Ho Chi Minh City Gagsta Rap Gun Culture, which is about as Canadian as the rings around Saturn. By such people are we now judged, and even the cops can't tell the difference anymore.
Of course, our bean-counter mentallity of 'training to need' and cost accounting anything of value does little to help. Power points and videos are no substitute for actual marksmanship training.
LIVE AMMO CHANGES EVERYTHING.
No simulator can ever make up for that.
Tom