Carrying a loaded gun (not "unloaded") without a round in chamber is perfectly adequate to deal with nearly every threat we may face where a gun will be useful.
Well, there's the Tueller drill...
In my CCW training, it was stressed that deadly force is justified if and only if the serious threat is imminent (A, O, J), and if and only if one cannot avoid, evade, or safely retreat, and
at that point, and no sooner, one may produce the weapon. The demonstrations showed virtually no time to even cycle a slide, much less confirm that the round is chambered and the gun is in battery.
I'm not quite sure what
other situations might arise in which a gun may be useful, except for a peace officer or soldier.
The tiny fraction of improbable situations, where we are attacked without warning at close range, are barely worth thinking about --
Improbable, yes indeed, but so is the chance of needing an airbag. Tiny fraction? You'll have to help me understand that. I think the chance of being in a position to produce the weapon in any other situation is by far the smaller fraction.
and if we want to think about them, then yes, as you say -- why not carry a loaded gun in your hand, if you're that fearful of being jacked without warning?
Good way to get shot or send everyone running.
Where I live, the gun must be
concealed and it must not be "exhibited in a dangerous or threatening manner"
except when the use of deadly force is justified, except for police officers.
I carry a DAO revolver, always holstered. Were I to choose a semi-automatic it would probably be DAO or long-pull,
with a round in the chamber. I personally worry about having the time to disengage the safety on a 1911, but for those who can do so safely and very quickly, I think chambered is the way to go.
The county police where I live carry their sidearms with rounds chambered, and every one of them with whom I've spoken who carries a semi-automatic for back-up keeps a round chambered in it.
Now, if one is in the bedroom, that's probably a different story, most of the time.