Carry handgun w/round in chamber. good or not?

[canuck]

I am an Indiana resident who posesses a license to carry a handgun. A friend of mine and I were talking about the permit, and they stated that I had to carry concealed at all times, that the permit did not allow for open carry. I did some searching on the internet, and was able to find very little information, mainly just briefly touched on in a Thread like this. I then called the Indiana State Police and spoke with someone in the firearms regulations field. They said that the statute for carrying a handgun with a license does not state whether the gun must be carried concealed, or can be carried open. He then stated that it would be up to the carrier, but could be advised against because of the public's reaction to handguns. My wife and I recently started talking about my carrying of the gun, and she stated that it is not wise to carry a gun with a round in the chamber, whether the gun has a safety or not. I carry a gun without an external safety, but I carry on my right side, in a hard kydex paddle holster. I do carry concealed, mainly for public reaction reasons. I stated that it would be unlikely for a round to just randomly discharge from the firearm while we were walking around the local walmart. She just said that a gun should never be carried with a round in the chamber. I do carry with a loaded magazine, but at the time no round in the chamber.
Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[earlthegoat2]

Unless you are banking on having time when you need your gun I would suggest carrying one in the tube. If it makes you uncomfortable go with a revolver. Police officers do it so I see no reason a citizen shouldnt as well.

 

[canuck]

I am not uncomfortable with carrying a round in the chamber. I do every now and then. I live right behind a small hunting shop that sells handguns. I have a 3 year old daughter, and every now and then the 2 of us go for a walk to that store. when I do that, I usually load one into the chamber because if I find I need to use it, my other hand will be busy protecting my child. I also have her walk on the opposite side of my gun.

 

[General Geoff]

The gun is an expensive brick without a round in the chamber. A modern firearm in proper working order will not discharge unless the trigger is pulled. Since you have a good holster that covers the trigger guard, you have nothing to worry about.

 

[gregormeister]

A low-life with a gun will not give you the chance to cycle a round in the chamber. I carry with one in the pipe at all times.

 

[BornAgainBullseye]

Of couse there should be one in the chamber. If you really think you can chamber a round while being attacked, or have the clarvoience to see an attack before it happens..... you may be able to jedi mind trick the perp to attack himself....... In all honesty though .. I do not open carry because I do not want to be first on the pecking order when it hits the fan. If something goes down I believe that it is a greater tactical advantage of total surprise when my gun comes out of nowhere.. BTW I carry a 1911 in .45acp cocked and locked. Not because that is the popular thing here, but from my experience with other pistols. The 1911 cocked and locked is the fastest (for me and many others) for a accurate first shot. It is perfectly safe to boot. 3 things have to happen before it goes boom and none can be missing. 1. safety has to be off. 2. grip safety has to be depressed. 3. trigger must be pulled. The gun will not fire "accidentally". even if there were a failure in the sear, the half cock groove in the hammer will catch it before it fell. Pluss the series 80 and clones of the 1911 have a extra step in the firing pin for safety reasons, Unless you have a glock chambered or you are Plaxico Burris you should be safe carrying ready to rock.

 

[franconialocal]

I carry a Sig P-220 .45 auto every day for work with one in the chamber. I wouldn't have it any other way.....no other way makes sense to me and it is the REQUIRED method of carry for my PD (In fact, I can't think of a PD that does it differently *????*). If I need my weapon, I need it NOW.

My AR and shotgun are loaded with NOTHING in the chamber/ safety on, but this is more of a PD liablility policy ("special purpose/deployment weapon") than feeling comfortable with one in the chamber.

IMHO....your wife is wrong. Erring on the side of safety, I'm sure, but still wrong.

 

[jibbs]

I see like this, if you have a revolver theres on in the chamber automatically. My j-frame is a pre-lock so the only safety feature is that it is double action. I also carry a Glock, which was weird feeling when I first started carrying it, but soon felt really comfortable with it. I carry my j-frame in the pocket and glock iwb.

I dont really see the point to carrying a gun if you are not prepared to use it at a moments notice, I imagine lots of fumbling around (adrenaline, tunnel vision) if you need to use it, why have to worry about an extra step.

Just my .02

 

[DeepSouth]

According to www.opencarry.org "Indiana is not a traditional open carry state. However, with an Indiana permit, open carry is legal." SEE HERE

As far as carrying with one in the barrel, it is perfectly legal in every state to carry with your weapon fully loaded, with a permit from that state of course. I have never heard of anything to state otherwise. There is currently a discussion going on about this HERE You will find the majority of people who carry do so fully loaded with one in the chamber. If you do not feel conformable doing so, don't. I would just say sometimes every second counts.


And also Welcome to THR

 

[mljdeckard]

.....looking around for my sense of diplomacy.....not finding it.....your wife is [mistaken].

I don't know who told her it's not wise to carry with a round in the chamber, but they are wrong.

With very few exceptions, automatics are designed to be carried with a round chambered. Certainly all MODERN autos. If you have some kind of striker-fired auto, like a Glock, XD. M&P, etc, it is absolutely safe to carry chambered and was intended for this. And yes, even out 'ancient' 1911, about to celebrate its 100th birthday, is safe to carry with a round chambered, the hammer cocked, and the safety on.

Remember, that if you ever actually have to use this gun, your world is falling apart quickly. Your normal plans have all failed. All of the things you HOPED would keep you out of trouble DIDN'T. This means, you have to PLAN on EVERYTHING going wrong. You can no longer ASSUME that you will be able to draw the gun and rack the slide. Why? Who knows. You might already be wounded and not have the use of your other hand. You might be using your other hand to push back an attacker, DRIVE, or it might be restrained by an attacker. These are the kinds of things you will be dealing with when you are in a situation SO BAD that you have to fight for your life.

The alternative is what some call 'Israeli carry'. The idea is that you carry with a magazine in the weapon, no round chambered, safety off, hammer cocked. When you are ready to shoot, you draw with your right hand, and in the same motion, you rack the slide. A few weeks ago we had a guy in here arguing every reason he could imagine that this was the way to go, despite being shown the contrary. No matter how fast you are, no matter how much you practice it, you don't know that you will have two hands when you need to draw.

You need to learn a lot of things. How to clear a stoppage. How to reload quickly. How to do it with ONE HAND. Then how to do it with only your WEAK hand. These things are not optional. They are critical.

I don't know the size of the magazine you are carrying, but you also will be carrying one round less than you could. I don't base my plans on specific capacity, but it could make a difference one day.

Both you and your wife need a lot of training. Why her? The same reason you need a round chambered. You DON'T KNOW what the circumstances will be. You might be wounded, and SHE will have to fight for both of you. I am going to recommend getting some good training. something like the basic pistol course at Thunder Ranch. You might not be in a position where you can take a week off and drop about $2k to fly to Oregon for a pistol course, RIGHT NOW, but I will ask you to consider, how important is this, REALLY? If you are willing to be armed to protect your life, it is serious enough that you should get some training. Read every book by Massad F. Ayoob, but start with "In the Gravest Extreme". BOTH OF YOU. She needs to understand that this is a team effort. This is not something you can do once and say you're ready. Carrying a gun means you must commit to a lifestyle change, and an ongoing attitute of awareness and training. It's NEVER over.

For open carrying, I let the circumstances decide. If I'm out in the desert riding an ATV, yes. If I'm in downtown Salt Lake, no.

 

[rbernie]

Since there seems to be no legal question at hand and the issue on the table is whether carrying with a round in the chamber is a good idea, I'm moving this thread from Legal to S&T.

 

[ArmedBear]

If you're not confident that your gun is drop-safe, get rid of it and buy one that is.

If you're not confident about carrying the gun with a round in the chamber because it has no manual and/or grip safety, get rid of it and buy one with the features you want.

A thread not long ago had some Glock carrier defending his choice to carry unchambered because a Glock has no safety apart from its multi-piece trigger design that effectively means the trigger is the safety. If I had a gun that I didn't trust to be safe to carry chambered, I would get rid of it -- not counting some old collector piece or cowboy revolver that I had no intention of carrying for defense.

(I'm not saying that one can't trust a Glock. I'm saying that, if you don't trust it, and therefore don't carry it loaded, then you should get something else.)

 

[ServiceSoon]

It's a personal decision. I carry without a round in the chamber. I weighed the advantages and the disadvantages. The chances of a negligent discharge just went to 0. I like those odds in this circumstance.

 

[mljdeckard]

Then....you are ASSUMING that you will have your other hand free when you draw. You don't KNOW.

 

[benminer]

I had a letter published in the Washington Post a few years ago about this.

--
2/15/06
The first rule of gun safety is not "Never chamber a round unless you intend to fire" [letters, Feb. 6] but "keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire."

Modern semiautomatic handguns carried by most police forces are designed to be carried with "one in the pipe." Racking the slide to chamber a round requires precious time and two free hands -- neither of which can be counted on in a life-or-death situation.

Salvatore J. Culosi Jr.'s tragic death probably was the result of a finger being on the trigger when it should not have been. Unfortunately, Mr. Culosi, who had not been proved guilty of a crime, paid for that with his life.

BEN MINER

Fairfax

 

[jibbs]

My cpl instructor dilled into our heads about being w/o an arm, and you dunno which one. For that reason if I carry a bug (back up gun), its always off hand and a revolver. People don't carry revolvers with one missing, why would I carry an autoloader the same way. Again, it is what you feel comfortable with and at the end of day there is no right or wrong answer. Sorry to deviate from op question, but these are supporting facts for hot carrying.

 

[nalioth]

A defensive pistol with an empty chamber is an expensive impact weapon.

 

[scottgun]

Inexperienced and uninformed people usually suggest carrying without one in the chamber. As you get more familiar with your gun and shooting, it will become apparent that carrying without one in the chamber defeats the purpose of carrying. When you really need it, you need it fast and without any other preparation other than pulling the trigger. Keep it in a good holster and don't touch the trigger unless you have your target in your sights.

 

[mljdeckard]

Cut him some slack, he's a new guy.

 

[JMusic]

Israelis carry theirs with round not in chamber. I know of know other state or country that does this. Sounds like you are uncomfortable carrying a loaded weapon. My vote is one in the pipe.




Jim

 

[ArmedBear]

The chances of a negligent discharge just went to 0. I like those odds in this circumstance.

Not true. As long as you carry a gun, it could discharge. That's even true if it's "unloaded."

If your primary concern is to avoid all possibilities of discharging the gun, no matter how it's handled, then you can accomplish this only by not carrying a gun. In some situations, this is, indeed, the best choice.

 

[possum]

personally a round in the chamber is the only way to carry.

 

[Pilot]

A gun is useless as a defensive weapon unless there is a round in the chamber. What is your wife basing her viewpoint on? If I had to guess I would say hearsay and emotion.

 

[canuck]

Partially Hearsay and emotion, but mostly she sees it as a safety measure. Since there is no external safety on the gun. By the way, I carry a Kahr p40. Has a 6+1 capacity. I also carry an extra mag on my left side. I carry a combination of JHP's (in the gun) and FMJ's (left side pouch) at all times when carrying.

 

[Kleanbore]

Using a non-functioning "gun", have someone rush you unexpectedly from a distance of a little more than twenty feet, and draw your "weapon" from concealment starting when the "attack" is started; this is known as the Tueller Drill, and it shows how an assailant with a contact weapon can pose an imminent danger from a few yards away. Try this several times while a third person times you.

Practice until you are confident that you would be able to stop an assailant.

I think it likely that you will conclude that the time needed to cycle the slide is time that you do not want to take.

I think you will also probably conclude that some of the statements above are very true---

As you get more familiar with your gun and shooting, it will become apparent that carrying without one in the chamber defeats the purpose of carrying. When you really need it, you need it fast and without any other preparation other than pulling the trigger.

A defensive pistol with an empty chamber is an expensive impact weapon.

Remember, that if you ever actually have to use this gun, your world is falling apart quickly. Your normal plans have all failed. All of the things you HOPED would keep you out of trouble DIDN'T. This means, you have to PLAN on EVERYTHING going wrong. You can no longer ASSUME that you will be able to draw the gun and rack the slide.

You need to learn a lot of things. How to clear a stoppage. How to reload quickly. How to do it with ONE HAND. Then how to do it with only your WEAK hand. These things are not optional. They are critical.

A low-life with a gun will not give you the chance to cycle a round in the chamber.

...and so on.

I would pay particular attention to mjdeckard's recommendation regarding training.