milkmaster said:
Help me out here and try to explain your thoughts and/or feelings about this when you first starting carrying regularly. Did it bother you? Does it still bother you? How did you get past it to carry comfortably and confidently. Did you receive any training that made you feel ok with it?
I've been carrying my weapon(s) every single day for many years now, and they are always chambered. My "training" with firearms started when I was about five years old, and I've been around guns for most of my life.
I began attending more official training classes when I became a police officer, and also started ALWAYS carrying a CCW back when I took on this career a few years ago.
As someone else already mentioned in this thread, your biggest concern to address might be your chosen method of carry. I personally would never carry a loaded/chambered weapon in a pocket without it being properly secured in a holster. The key to safety with a chambered firearm (at least in my mind) is to have the weapon carried in a fashion that will prevent the trigger from being pulled under any accidental circumstances. A holster which covers the trigger guard will complete this task, and ensure that you don't crank a round off into your leg when you stand, sit, run, move, bend over, etc.
There are many holster options available these days, depending on your preferences.
I have a variety of holsters that I use when off-duty, depending on my intended applicatoin: I sometimes carry a mini-Glock in an inner-pants holster. This holster cost about $12, conceals the gun very well, isn't quite as comfortable as a belt holster, and doesn't retain the weapon quite as well if I'm wrestling around with someone (ask me how I know this). Other times I'll wear a simple leather belt holster. It provides better retention than the inner-pants holster, is a good bit more comfortable, and slightly less concealable. My final off-duty holster is a Blackhawk Serpa holster... It is a Level II holster, and provides excellent weapon retention. It is the least concealable of the three holsters, but is also the fastest to deploy, and the quickest/easiest to reholster with.
So, I'd advise you to take your gun over to a shop that carries a lot of holster choices (perhaps a local police supply store?), and see what works best for your needs! Carrying a gun chambered can be done safely, I just feel that it requires some type of holster to do so!