For me, CCW with no round in the chamber makes no sense...

This is my thought-the other hand needs to be free in order to create space, if necessary. If the average encounter is 3-6 feet, you may need to clear someone or even some thing (car door?) while drawing, and at that point you're not going to want (and may not have time) to have to rack the slide.

But if you want to carry chamber-clear, by all means do what makes you feel most comfortable. That AD argument is not without merit.

I will ask my questions again:

1) Let's assume a hypothetical regulation is passed that restricts CC with a chambered round. Before you dismiss such a hypothetical regulation, take a minute to think of all the stupid, senseless gun related regulations we have today (barrel length, gun locks with every new gun, suppressor registration) and think of the fact that govt already tells you where you can and can't carry (30.06, 30.07, etc). So hypothetically, let's just assume it is illegal to carry your gun with a round in the chamber. If this were to be the case, based on the responses in this thread, am I hearing that you guys would stop CC altogether? It's all or nothing....you would not carry a gun unless you could have it chambered?

2) Let's assume a hypothetical swing of politics in TX results in CHL becoming illegal altogether. Before y ou dismiss such a hypothetical swing, let's not forget there was a time, not long ago, you couldn't CC at all. However in this new world, you were still allowed to carry a knife. If this were to be the case, would you guys solely carry fixed blade knives because folding knives are too slow?


I get what you guys are saying but I don't believe in the all or nothing approach. I believe you should do what you are comfortable and trained to do. AD stands for accidental discharge. Accidents can and do happen. Just ask all the guys in the AD thread. Ask Chads friend that got shot in the leg on a boat. Yes, those are ND (negligent discharges) but negligence happens all the time as well. Do a google search on "police officer accidental discharge". It even happens to the best, highly trained individuals so it's naive to think it can't happen just because you keep your finger off the trigger and gun holstered. I didn't think it was possible for a 45acp round to set off another 45acp round in a bag of loose ammo....until it happened to me.

Didn't we have this debate a few months ago?

Will anybody be swayed by the few who say not to keep one in the chamber? I'm guessing the answer is no. Carry how you want and hopefully you will never have to see who is right on this one.

In that scenario I would carry a revolver with the hammer down on an empty chamber.

But for now, I too carry with a round chambered.

I see no point in carrying unless you have one in the chamber. Get something with a safety if you are worried about an AD, or use a revolver as stated before. There are some very valid points about being able to access your weapon with only one hand, and in a panic situation you will need that hand for something other than getting your weapon ready to fire.

Why pretend that carrying without a round chambered is inherently safe? It's not. It some cases it puts the carrier at a higher risk if involved in a defense situation. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

I don't carry, but I do have loaded weapons in the house and car (thank you castle law) so they are ready to go if I ever need to use them, and I pray I never do.

Having said that, it seems that carrying a weapon unloaded on your person is kind of like vigilante-ism....let me explain: the time it would take to draw/rack/pull would be inconsistent with protecting ones self from any sudden types of threats. As an example (which has already been mentioned on this thread) is the 21 foot radius where it is nearly impossible in training situations to pull and aim a shot at someone who charges at you from less than 21 feet, and that is in a training situation where you know what's happening and you react as quickly as possible without the fog of battle/lack of initiative/lack of confusion/etc, etc. So, assuming the use of an unloaded weapon is essentially useless against an immediate threat, the only time it would be useful is against a known threat which is clearly identifiable and yet some distance or time away. In almost all those types of circumstances the prudent and smart thing to do would be flee the area, not turn toward the threat. Unless you are a LEO, turning toward a threat is trying to take the law into your hands, thus vigilante-ism.

There are very few instances where this might be warranted, so I won't say carrying unloaded is the same as having a rock in your pocket, but just so you realize the unloaded weapon you are carrying is going to be essentially useless against a threat to your person or immediate family members unless you go looking for the threat. The 21 foot thing is real, and an unloaded weapon probably makes it more like a 40+ foot radius, not good for personal protection that much.

You sure about that, cause it really seems like you believe we should all do what you feel comfortable with.

So, you believe that there is no such thing as a justifiable shooting in self defense? There are tons of documented cases indicating otherwise.

I think any CHL instructor would tell you that the prudent thing to do is avoid the situation all together, but often enough this doesn't pan out. You can only make your own decisions and sometimes all the best options are taken away from you by an aggressor.

For those of you who choose not to have a round chambered, do you do the same thing while hunting? I always carry a pistol, with a round in the chamber.....The last time I needed to use it was when I was checking a hog trap and two of them weren't in the trap and charged. Barely enough time to get my pistol out, wouldn't have been even close to enough time to chamber one then try to shoot.

I just started carrying concealed a few months ago and yes we did have this conversation a few months ago.

I wasnt sure myself if I was going to carry in or out of the chamber at first. I have to admit I was at first (because it was my first time to cc) more concerned that I had a cocked and locked weapon aiming in to me all the time. Once I became more comfortable with it I realized my concern was not reasonable.

Now I would never think about leaving the house without one in the chamber. That being said I never ever keep one in the chamber at any other time. And I am OK with that because when I am at home I am usually an arms reach away from my firearm.

I will be switching my gun from DA/SA to an LEM trigger. I am trying to make things as simple and easy as possible because in that super stressful situation everything needs to be automatic and quick. Adding extra steps like cocking may screw things up. Less steps and less things to go wrong. Keep it simple.

Not sure where you got that from my post, but your take of it was totally opposite of what i was trying to say. I absolutely agree that a such thing exists called a justified homicide in self defense. Absolutely.

What I was trying to say was carrying with an unloaded weapon makes a justified homicide in self defense extremely difficult due to the time involved in drawing/racking/firing vs draw/fire in the case of a loaded weapon. If you have enough time to draw/rack/fire, chances are there is enough time to get outta dodge...there are going to be rare times getting out of dodge isn't possible, I admitted that in my first post, but unless you are a LEO, the prudent thing to do in most situations is get outta dodge and not draw in the first place. Tried to get that concept across in my first post but probably got lost in translation or bad writing.

I would bet the farm most people that carry really really don't ever want to be in a situation where they have to draw, and having the stress involved in such would make the draw/rack/fire scenario that much more difficult to properly execute unless trained for a ton.

This. Luckily the only time I've had use my CCW was on a charging hog. Definitely would not have had time to chamber a round. Since I do carry with one in the chamber that wasn't an issue.

The chance of you getting into a physical altercation before needing to draw seem pretty high. This is where not having one in the chamber could really get you in to trouble if you didn't have both hands to rack the slide.

If you are serious about concealed carry you should check out some videos on Active Self Protection's facebook and youtube page, as well as the First Person Defender videos, also a pistol class and even some IDPA will really help you out a lot.

Here are is and example from Active Self Protection (he narrates security cam footage of actual shootings) on this very subject. Warning, these are real and this shows people getting shot. https://www.facebook.com/ActiveSelfProtection/videos/768156983292084/

Yes, it is unlikely you will ever have to draw your CCW. However, I would argue that we carry a firearm so that if we do get in a situation that requires deadly force to protect ourselves or someone else, we have the best opportunity to afford ourselves that protection. By carrying your weapon unchambered, you are adding one more hurdle that might lead to you or someone else losing their life, and hampering your ability to protect yourself and others.

This is why others are saying "there is no point to carrying if you don't carry chambered." It's not that they literally believe an unchambered gun is useless, it's that they struggle to understand your mentality. If you are already making a concession that could lead to losing your life based on fear of an accidentally discharge, than why not take it one step further and leave the gun at home?

One other thing to add to my situation, I missed the first 2 shots on that pig (that was around 100lbs) and the third only wounded him enough to run the other direction. I practice panic shooting, and frequently run prior to trying to shoot relatively quickly to get my heart rate up but I can't stress enough how inaccurate I became, very quickly in this case. I was using my XD-40 that day and have now switched to carrying my Glock 17 due to the extra capacity and less recoil. Having those few extra rounds could be critical and along with less recoil, it means I can put more shots with the 9mm on target which is way more important to me than the extra stopping power I get from the .40. Just my .02 cents.

I see. You're correct, I totally misunderstood. I musta been trying to read and breathe at the same time, or something.


I missed a key part of "it seems that carrying a weapon unloaded on your person..."

Whats the point in carrying a da revolver with the hammer down on an empty cylinder? I understand it on some sa revolvers but not a da.

It's to satisfy the theoretical "for instance" existence of a legal requirement of carrying on an empty chamber.

That's kinda what I was thinking. I just wanted to check.

Seems to me if anyone within 21 feet can get you before you draw anyway that a cc is pointless to begin with. If I was to want to attack someone I would want to do it with surprise and there is no way I would be letting them know from a range of more than 21 feet before I made my move... in reality I would get much closer.

All those making such a big deal that you have to cary one in the chamber or its pointless im sure would be singing a different tune and carrying with an empty chamber if it were illegal so you could still have your gun. Im not a mobster and I don't walk around with a sign that says I have a $1,000,000 in my pocket come and get me. If I ever cary it wont be out of fear that ninjas will be waiting around every corner to jump me, which appears is the fear most of you live your lives in.

What's your hangup ob a theoretical law? You know most of us would carry that way to be lefal not because we would want to. Another thing, the closer they arw the less time you would have to react and would probably only have one free hand.

I always carry with one in the chamber. As others have mentioned, I think practice and a secure holster that completely covers the trigger are the keys to avoiding AD.

I think situation awareness solves the question.

Myself I will be well aware of anyone around me before they get within 21 feet when I am alone or with my wife and daughters. Same if I was with a friend or friends in areas I don't know to be secure.