Not a stupid question, but the answer is a resounding yes.

When the airbag deploys the cover of the steering wheel or dash rips open and out of the way, but some people are sitting so close that they will be hit hard in the face by that instead of the bag.

Also, if you move forward and hit it as the airbag expands out, it is going to hurt a lot more than just a fraction of a second later when the bag has fully deployed and already started to deflate.