The gun's actual length, and the fact that it has to project a containment field for a certain amount just to function properly should be enough protection for someone who is wearing such general battlefield dress (Ie; gloves, heavy long-sleeve jacket, body armor) to fire. Naturally if you try to fire it without a shirt on you're getting the worst flash-sunburn you've ever had, though.
As for recoil management, I'll add something to that effect into the article shortly.