I am *begging* you, stop carrying on an empty chamber.

[Manatee]

Carrying without one chambered "for the children" is a cop out.


Bet you won't find any police officers or military carrying their sidearm without one in the chamber. They are at a much higher risk at someone killing them with their own gun then you are.

You need to check your facts on this representation. Not true of military and not true of all law enforcement units.

 

[Rookie]

You need to check your facts on this representation. Not true of military and not true of all law enforcement units.

Correct. Some branches do carry without a loaded sixteen. At least they did when iwas in.

 

[jsharmon7]

I think some folks have "their gunfight" planned out in their head when they make carry decisions. "I'll be in a seedy part of town. I'll see the guy coming. I'll calmly and smoothly draw my pistol, rack one into the chamber, put two perfect shots center mass, and save the day." I can't think of any other reason why some people would pick and choose when to carry and when not to carry. Or knowingly leave themselves at a disadvantage by carrying unchambered. Or assume that a bad guy will come right at them from a distance rather than surprising them. Or not do any force-on-force training where some stress is involved. I can't speak to another's level of training and experience, but it seems to be a common theme I've seen here.

Your fight isn't going to go down the way you assume it will.

 

[KG1]

I think some folks have "their gunfight" planned out in their head when they make carry decisions. "I'll be in a seedy part of town. I'll see the guy coming. I'll calmly and smoothly draw my pistol, rack one into the chamber, put two perfect shots center mass, and save the day." I can't think of any other reason why some people would pick and choose when to carry and when not to carry. Or knowingly leave themselves at a disadvantage by carrying unchambered. Or assume that a bad guy will come right at them from a distance rather than surprising them. Or not do any force-on-force training where some stress is involved. I can't speak to another's level of training and experience, but it seems to be a common theme I've seen here.

Your fight isn't going to go down the way you assume it will.

The gunfight in my head is awesome!

 

[printcraft]

The gunfight in my head is awesome!

It has to involve at least one spinning back kick on perp #3 before you plug him........... perhaps I've said too much.................

 

[churchmouse]

The gunfight in my head is awesome!

Yeah, mine too but I lost.....

Jsharmon7 is correct.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

It has to involve at least one spinning back kick on perp #3 before you plug him........... perhaps I've said too much.................

Mine involves Angelina Jolie...

 

[churchmouse]

Mine involves Angelina Jolie...

Brad might take offense......

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Brad might take offense......

So does Mrs. GFGT.

 

[Mark 1911]

I made this post because someone just like you thought they were capable of defending themselves and ended up dead when they couldn't. I'm sure you're better than they were, though, and their circumstances could never happen to you.

I can recall various incidents in NWI Indiana involving deranged people randomly shooting and killing people. One in recent memory was the so-called honeybee killer that went on a rampage in 2010.

A few years earlier, in the fall of 1990, there was a guy named Christopher Petersen who killed seven people with a shotgun in Indiana, mostly in Lake county, including a young woman a Cedar Lake gas station right down the street from where my best friend lives. The victims were taken by surprise and at random, 2 were brothers. I seem to remember that one of the people he killed was armed (I might be confusing this with a different killer) but it all happened so fast that he never had a chance. I was already carrying at that time, but when that kook was on the loose I kept a Desert Eagle .44 mag right next to me on the car seat.

Just because we carry doesn't mean we will be able to respond fast enough to save our lives in a crisis situation, but I keep those tragedies in the back of my mind, and always carry with one in the chamber.

 

[churchmouse]

I can recall various incidents in NWI Indiana involving deranged people randomly shooting and killing people. One in recent memory was the so-called honeybee killer that went on a rampage in 2010.

A few years earlier, in the fall of 1990, there was a guy named Christopher Petersen who killed seven people with a shotgun in Indiana, mostly in Lake county, including a young woman a Cedar Lake gas station right down the street from where my best friend lives. The victims were taken by surprise and at random, 2 were brothers. I seem to remember that one of the people he killed was armed (I might be confusing this with a different killer) but it all happened so fast that he never had a chance. I was already carrying at that time, but when that kook was on the loose I kept a Desert Eagle .44 mag right next to me on the car seat.

Just because we carry doesn't mean we will be able to respond fast enough to save our lives in a crisis situation, but I keep those tragedies in the back of my mind, and always carry with one in the chamber.

If someone is looking to just kill another person and has the element of surprise it is near impossible to defend against that.
A gun is a tool....not a talisman.

 

[Mark 1911]

If someone is looking to just kill another person and has the element of surprise it is near impossible to defend against that.
A gun is a tool....not a talisman.

Very true. I guess that's exactly the point. When bad things happen, they may likely happen very fast and demand a very fast response, when more than likely our minds on something totally different, even for those of us who are aware of what's going on around them. I like to think that I'm very aware of my surroundings, but I still want every piece of time I can buy. Something as simple as racking a slide may suddenly not be so simple or easy as our motor skills are much impaired under stress.

 

[ryknoll3]

CARRYING ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER WILL GET YOU KILLED.

Please, please, please stop doing this. Is it honestly better to carry no gun than carry a gun that's not ready to fight when you pull it. It will get you killed. IT WILL GET YOU KILLED. The bad guys will prevail because of the head start you gave them in the gun fight. They already have the advantage of knowing when the gun fight is going to start.

CARRYING ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER WILL GET YOU KILLED.

I'm tired of good guys losing gun fights. So I beg you, please, please, pretty please stop effing hamstringing yourself. If you absolutely can't bring yourself to do carry with a round chambered, carry a revolver with the chamber under the hammer empty.

CARRYING ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER WILL GET YOU KILLED.

.... but, but a Lake County Sheriff's deputy told me that only police could carry with a round in the chamber. =)

 

[mainjet]

I believe that when it comes down to the truth, there is only one reason people carry a gun without one in the chamber - they are simply not comfortable enough with a gun to carry it as it should be. They are basically afraid it is going to go off somehow on accident. They put other excuses around it like "it's a safety barrier for them". But really it's all about their own fear that the gun will go off.

 

[actaeon277]

[video=youtube;e3fNz4Roec0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3fNz4Roec0[/video]

 

[stephen87]

Correct. Some branches do carry without a loaded sixteen. At least they did when iwas in.

They still do. My old partner at work was in the Army and he still carries without one in the chamber, because he "can draw and load one in the chamber faster than I can draw." He's only 20.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

They still do. My old partner at work was in the Army and he still carries without one in the chamber, because he "can draw and load one in the chamber faster than I can draw." He's only 20.

As a veteran, former contractor, LTCH holder, and LEO, I've been on many different rules of engagement and rules of how to carry. Army tactics and self-defense tactics don't overlap in many areas. You can afford to carry without one in the chamber when you've got 9 of your closest armed and armored buddies with you, you have a decent idea what the threat level is and where "the wire" is, etc. The military has the concept of "acceptable casualties". We cannot. Generally if we go down, its game over, there's no one else to realize a firefight has started, provide covering fire, and drag your butt to the medics or drag the medics to your butt, situation dependent. You are unlikely to have any sort of overwatch. The Army has the concept of "actionable intelligence" and "recon". We do not. We are very unlikely to know we're about to be in a gun fight that day while we're prepping our gear. This holds true in other areas. We've had some SF guys come show us rifle drills and how they work, and they'd get me killed on the street. Why? Because I'm not as good as they are, I don't have a group of guys who are good as they are backing me up, and I don't have a team of those guys I consistently drill with. They can break cover and move in ways that I cannot because of their own abilities, training, and the fact they bring friends with the same.

When I worked for DynCorp, we usually had to carry on an empty chamber unless the threat level rose to a certain color. I've trained for empty chamber carry, I've worked for people that would fire you if you were at the clearing barrel and a round popped out and I've worked for people that would fire you if one didn't.

 

[WoodWizard]

It is a no brainer, carrying with an empty chamber only puts You at risk. Be prepared.

 

[whippo]

i carry lock and loaded but i support those that don't want to. They should train even more than someone with one in the chamber both with and without a firearm.

 

[cedartop]

As a veteran, former contractor, LTCH holder, and LEO, I've been on many different rules of engagement and rules of how to carry. Army tactics and self-defense tactics don't overlap in many areas. You can afford to carry without one in the chamber when you've got 9 of your closest armed and armored buddies with you, you have a decent idea what the threat level is and where "the wire" is, etc. The military has the concept of "acceptable casualties". We cannot. Generally if we go down, its game over, there's no one else to realize a firefight has started, provide covering fire, and drag your butt to the medics or drag the medics to your butt, situation dependent. You are unlikely to have any sort of overwatch. The Army has the concept of "actionable intelligence" and "recon". We do not. We are very unlikely to know we're about to be in a gun fight that day while we're prepping our gear. This holds true in other areas. We've had some SF guys come show us rifle drills and how they work, and they'd get me killed on the street. Why? Because I'm not as good as they are, I don't have a group of guys who are good as they are backing me up, and I don't have a team of those guys I consistently drill with. They can break cover and move in ways that I cannot because of their own abilities, training, and the fact they bring friends with the same.

When I worked for DynCorp, we usually had to carry on an empty chamber unless the threat level rose to a certain color. I've trained for empty chamber carry, I've worked for people that would fire you if you were at the clearing barrel and a round popped out and I've worked for people that would fire you if one didn't.

Quoted for truth. This applies to much more than just chambered or not, spot on.