Come on a firearm carried by a sling is as safe as one carried in the hands. I've spent almost 60 years carry firearms by hand and slung over my shoulder. Every where from the mountains of Korea to the the western plains and mountains of the USA. There may be some here that have investigated more hunting accidents than I and have more expertise than I in these investigations, but never had a hunting 10-50 involving a sling,b ut a number of them being carried in someone hands. If you are a turkey hunter who gets a long way from the truck, you'll soon learn that you need a sling.