This is another common question that I get. I know that this question gets asked because people are concerned about safety. I am going to help ease those concerns today.
So why should you carry with a round in the chamber?
Easy. So you are prepared.
In a high stress situation your body and your mind can react very different than under normal circumstances. A simple action like racking the slide is made much more difficult. Your chances of not being able to complete this task correctly increase drastically. If you don't pull the slide all the way back it may not actually load the round, or may load the round but not seat fully in the chamber. Both of these are setting the firearm up for immediate failure. Having a round already in the chamber is the best case scenario for being prepared on a moments notice.
But Is that Safe?
The best way to answer that question is for you to answer this one. During the last month how many times have you accidentally pulled the trigger? If you are carrying in a proper holster and following the firearm safety rules then your answer to that question had better be ZERO!!!! If the answer to that question is not 0 then honestly you shouldn't be carrying a firearm until you go through another safety class or talk with someone who can help you fix the issue causing you to pull that trigger. There really is no excuse. So, assuming your answer was 0, then what are you concerned about?
With any modern firearm the trigger HAS TO BE PULLED for the firearm to shoot. No trigger pull = No bang.
So how do you completely negate the chances of a negligent discharge?
Always use a proper holster! One that has a trigger guard and is molded for your firearm is your best option. Know how your specific firearm operates, and practice drawing your (UNLOADED) firearm from your holster over and over and over again until you don't have to look down to draw or re-holster. and then practice more! This is not something you learn and then never practice again. You should drill on this daily so that the movements are muscle memory.
Last but not least! Follow the 3 Basic Firearm Safety Rules
So to sum this all up. If you are carrying a modern firearm, then it is designed and made to never fire unless you pull the trigger. They have internal and some external safeties all designed to make sure the that it doesn't fire when its not supposed to.
Current estimates claim that over 10 million Americans conceal carry every single day, and if accidental or negligent discharges were a common occurrence we would hear about them every day in the news. We don't hear about it very often if at all, because it is a very rare occurrence, and when it does happen is is almost always operator error!
Rest assured (and walk around with your chambered firearm assured) that if you’re safe and know how your firearm operates, there is absolutely no reason that you should fear carrying with a round in the chamber. If after reading this article you are still unsure, you should consider holding off on carrying a firearm until you are confident in both that firearm and yourself.
John