MASON, MICHIGAN - Always keep the gun pointed down and finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

This was the safety tip Ingham County Deputy Bob McElmurray said was the most important when handling a firearm.

Local media outlets got a glimpse into how to properly handle and shoot a firearm as well as get a look into the daily lives of police officers on Wednesday.

Ingham County Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth invited the media to the annual Media Shootout event, which was held at the Ingham County Sheriff's Office in Mason.

The event has been hosted for nearly 25 years and Wriggelsworth shared why he thinks this event is important for the media to attend.

"I think with all the controversy going on across the country with police shootings and deaths, and those kinds of things, that would be to your advantage to come out and actually see what it's like to shoot a gun--know what an officer goes through during a shooting," Wriggelsworth said.

This was McElmurray's first year leading the training and he explained how police officers often have to make decisions quick on their feet.

"I'm new to the the training division so this is my first year doing it," McElmurray said. "But I think it's good for you guys to see what we go through on a day-to-day basis--we have to make decisions in a split-second, sometimes pulling our gun and having to shoot."

The first step of the training involved putting what are called "eyes and ears" on, which meant putting on safety ear covers and glasses to prevent hearing or eye injury.

Next, shooters were instructed to pick up the gun with their index finger running alongside of the gun, off the trigger, with their opposite hand cupped around the gun on the other side.

Once proper hand form was indicated on the gun, shooters were instructed to pick up the magazine case and load it into the gun, making sure to continue keeping their index finger off the trigger. The magazine case was deemed inserted properly once it made a clicking sound.

Throughout this time of preparing the gun to be ready to shoot, it was always pointed down. After inserting the magazine case, shooters were instructed to pull the rack back, which is the top part of the gun that loads the magazine in place so it's ready to shoot.

Once the gun was prepared to shoot McElmurray instructed the shooters to fire all ten rounds in the magazine.

While the training depicted just one aspect of how officers use guns as a part of their everyday job, often shooting with a gun is more complex than it was in the training.

"You didn't shoot from the draw, you shot from a low-ready--you just held the gun out and shot and it was still kind of tough," McElmurray said. "I think this gives you guys a good idea of just how hard it is to shoot,"