Rickochet Put the blade guard on it. I know people who have cut fingers off by not using the blade guard but not one who did it with the blade guard on.
To be honest, I think some of the guards on machines make them more dangerous. Common sense works best. I like to see what I am doing. I ran a lot of different milling machines in my lifetime. You can't begin to even run them with the guards that come on them. A radial arm saw (which I have had for 40+ years) is probably the most dangerous piece of machinery that there is.