Demonizing 'one in the chamber'

Legal & Second Amendment
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So I have to say that I’m in the extreme minority when it comes to carrying without a round in the chamber. Most instructors will say to always have one chambered no matter what. I recently took my concealed handgun class again (because I let my permit expire) and there were two foreigners in the class where in their native countries it was illegal to carry with a round in the chamber, they were shocked LOL. I’ve had some close calls with accidental discharges, almost had a friend shoot me (the bullet missed), so I’m against one in the chamber unless I’m approaching a situation where I’m in imminent danger. But I’d say pretty much across the board most people will disagree with my decision.

Then the other day I overheard a family member listening to the news. I wasn’t paying attention that well but as the story went some guy shot another guy, was in a legal battle, confined to home arrest with an ankle bracelet. Then he was caught with a gun ‘with a round in the chamber’, as stated by the lady on the news. I was actually surprised that she mentioned ‘one in the chamber’ since here in the gun community that’s pretty much a given for so many people. But it seems like the media is using it against us.

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This is one of several reasons why I carry with 1 in the chamber. That situation could be walking out the door and checking your mail; and no, I don’t live my life in a paranoid nightmare.

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While it doesn’t apply to all locales, there’s also the possibility that drawing and chambering a round may open a person to the potential charge of Brandishing.

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That is a very valid concern. If you suddenly find yourself in a situation you think may be going south so you want your firearm ready to go. If you didn’t put one in the chamber before you walked out the door now you have to commit to drawing in order to prep it for a faster response.

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It’s a matter of personal preference but in the conceal carry community, where safety is heavily promoted, it’s common practice. Like you said, you’re in the minority.

I carry with one in the chamber, safety on, for years and have practiced drawing while putting safety off so I don’t lose precious split second.
Earlier this year, I’ve finally arrived at a place where I can safely and confidently carry with the safety off.

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Of course they are, it’s their job. Ours is to preserve life! Personally I prefer chambered, it’s the way I was taught, trained and practice.
It’s also the natural progression of a draw with a 1911 in a cocked and locked carry position.
I thought lightning was fast, have you ever been in a strong armed robbery? At gun point? I have, in a big box retail store, women, children, screaming, crying, panic. I could not draw my weapon, I was shielding three toddlers! Would be a bad idea to draw attention even with an ace in the hole, “know when to hold’em, know when to walk away”.

OK, So, Imagine being at your favorite gun range with all lanes filled, everyone is loaded and they all start to sweep their muzzles towards YOU! Hold that image, now rack the slide before the RO says “RANGE IS HOT”

Talk about fast, things turn ugly quickly. If I’m anywhere close, I sure don’t want to give away my position by trying to chamber a round!
Have you ever tried to make coffee a 3:00 in the morning, that’s how loud it is when chambering a round in the heat of the moment!

Not to mention being in a deadly force position and having an adrenaline dump, making sure what’s in front and behind my targets, keeping anyone next to me safe, and chambering a round in less than, I can’t even do the math on this.

So let’s go back to high school.
Mikey is five feet away from Stevie.
Stevie has a .45 ACP that travels approximately 830 feet per SECOND. Two part question. All answers should be in milliseconds!

A. How much time will it take for Stevie’s bullet to reach Mikey?
B. How much time will it take Mikey to rack the slide?
The answer to B is, the rest of his life!
Training and practice and when you think you have it, train and practice some more. I’ll never be faster than the bad guy, but I will have an edge.

I hope to never be caught dead with an empty chamber unless the magazine is empty as well. Let the media demonize that! We live in two different worlds. Carry how you are most comfortable and train for that comfort level. But always carry!
Carry safely, carry confidently!

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IF YOU CHOOSE, you vote in person with picture I.D., unless you are out of country. ALL mail in ballots are authenticated! These should be the only mandates.

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Tell me if I am wrong, does not gun safety have anything to do with having a round in the chamber?

1, You are always to assume a gun is loaded, (Check!)
2, Never point your gun at anything you do not want to destroy! (Check!)
3, Never place your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot, (Check!)
4, Know what is behind your target as well as, around your target.

So, if you are using your safety rules properly then the chance of a ND is only as safe as you are.

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Check!

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You’re a brave person to admit that on this forum. You have my admiration. May God have mercy on your soul.

I’m going to mute this topic, now.

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Kind of a pointless comment.

That being said you should get yourself a firearm that you are 100% comfortable carrying while having a round in the chamber.

Like others have stated, drawing your firearm to chamber a round in anticipation could get you in trouble and/or escalate a situation that would have otherwise been avoided.

And I will not be blocking this topic. :grinning:

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Does any Owner’s Manual cover this? Think about how many motions you have to use just to get to your gun, and how many layers of clothing you have to remove in the process. Demonize all you want - it’s just common sense.

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I pocket carry with my shirt tucked in. No layers of clothing to remove. Also my Ruger SR9c has a thumb safety.

My question is:. How are you going to chamber a round if you other hand is fending off an assailant?

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I believe I’ve mentioned this before, but I became a devoted “one in the chamber” carrier after seeing a video some years ago. The film was assembled by a former police chief, made up from a dozen surveillance videos which had captured police actions involving firearms. The synopsis is that in each encounter the trained officer couldn’t chamber a round because their off hand was committed to other (necessary) actions. Of the twelve officers, IIRC, 11 died and one ended up in a wheel chair for the rest of his life.

It’s one in the chamber for me.

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JUST REMEMBER! FELONS THAT ARE PROHIBITED FROM POSSESSING FIREARMS that go around committing crimes, CARRY ONE IN THE CHAMBER, GUN ON THEIR HAND IN THEIR POCKET, FINGER ON THE TRIGGER, no holster required, READY TO DO YOU IN!

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Discussion (another one at this Community) about one in the chamber is pointless.
Each of us is carrying the way that seems to be the best at the moment. It may stay this way or the habit may change in the future… Nobody knows.

I’d like to focus on one statement posted:

No, it is not right.
If I would hear this from Instructor, it would be his last class attended by me.
None of Instructors should tell you what to do “no matter what”.
The Instructors’ role is to “instruct”, meaning tell you what is the best practice and how to do certain things… but carry method is your own choice…your choice, no matter what.

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This is my point exactly, most people are die hards when it comes to one in the chamber. Demonizing it in the media or in court is ridiculous. I actually saw a guy on YouTube that was talking about Glocks, he said that Glocks were designed for carrying without one in the chamber, designed to draw and rack the slide. First time I’ve seen a guy crazy enough to say that on YouTube LOL. I’m sure 99% disagree with that statement. In certain situations I can see where I would carry with one in the chamber, for example cops, people living in really bad neighborhoods, if you were living in a war zone, etc… But for me up here all by myself up in the mountains where the biggest threats are bears, mountain lions and wolves, I’m guessing I’d hear them coming and have a chance to rack the slide before they get me, or at least I could shoot them while they are chewing on my foot LOL. It’s not like I’m in a western movie trying to beat the bad guy to the draw at the OK corral.

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@HELLCAT >> Hmmm on top of all this, if you think your going to hear a big Kitty cat coming think again.
They can Hitta you inna de eye and eata you likea a Bigga Pizza Pie.
Datsa no morea Mr. Hellkitty.
The End.

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I’ve actually been stalked by these big cats. After almost 20 years up here in the woods every day I’ve learned to listen to the small things, in fact my hearing is better than my sight now LOL. If I hear something and I’m suspicious then yes, one goes in the chamber and I reholster my firearm. Usually the big predators only come out at dusk and dawn and hunt during the night, so walking around in the daytime is pretty safe. One small twig snapping in the distance puts me on alert. Most folks from the city are oblivious. I actually knew a guy that was elk hunting with his son, they were attacked by a big cat. Luckily they survived with minor injuries and they killed the cat.

Bears are a different story, you really don’t want to shoot a bear unless it’s chewing on your foot. Check out the bear hunting videos on YouTube, every single time someone shoots a bear it rushes them as fast as the bear can run, a truly terrifying experience. You are better off avoiding bears or as a last resort give a warning shot first to try to scare it away. And if you shoot a bear and it has a buddy, both bears will rush you usually from different directions.

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That’s a very important point. I can’t remember the exact number but somewhere about 90% of bear charges are bluff charges. They will pull up just short of you and humph and stomp. Bears are all about conflict avoidance. Unless you hurt them. Then it’s game on.

I disagree on your mountain lion assessment though. You can hear them moving around if they aren’t hunting you. Which is 99.9999% of the time when you are just walking through the woods and not running, biking or otherwise acting like a fleeing deer. But they are very good ambush predators and give little to no warning when they want to.

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