Thursday, April 9, 2009

One in the chamber

For some unknown reason I have had a fair number of students in recent classes that are deathly afraid of carrying a gun with one in the chamber. Typically what they tell me is that they have heard too many horror stories about accidental discharges and are willing to sacrifice some speed for security.

On one hand I kind of have to applaud them for their devotion to safety. On the other hand, this philosophy just might get them killed. About 60% of law enforcement shootings are done with one hand. This is because the officer is either doing something important with his other hand or he does not feel that he has enough time to get his support hand in the proper position. Do you think he might have enough time to rack the slide first?

I believe that if you carry a gun for protection that it ought to be carried with a live round in the chamber. If you somehow feel uncomfortable with this then I would recommend the following drill.

Unload your gun, check it twice, rack the slide or cock the hammer and holster it. Draw the gun and pull the trigger. Cock and holster. Repeat as many times as it takes for you to feel comfortable drawing and re-holstering a "loaded" gun without inadvertently pulling the trigger. It may take awhile, but increasing your confidence is what the drill is all about.