For many, carrying with a round in the chamber is a step that hasn’t been taken yet. The reasons vary, but it’s definitely an issue for a lot of people. In this article, I am going to discuss a simple thing that you can do to ease your mind.
If you came here to say something along the lines of “Carrying with an empty chamber is stupid” or “Why even carry if your pipe is empty?”, save it. This article isn’t for you.
If you’re still reading, I hope that you’re here for the tip in this article.
First, keep this in mind: For a modern handgun to fire, the trigger needs to be depressed. For the following example, I am going to be referring to Glock pistols as the example, since they have no external safety (aside from the trigger safety).
Try this:
If you don’t already, start to carry your firearm with the trigger in the forward position, shown below:
At the end of the day when you take your firearm out of your holster to put it away, chances are the trigger is still in that position. If it is, congrats, you did not ‘experience’ a negligent discharge. The word ‘experience’ is in quotes because we are under the assumption that a round was not in the chamber, rendering a negligent discharge impossible unless you racked the slide before the trigger was accidentally depressed.
Now, if you ever unholster your firearm and see the trigger pulled back, we have a real problem. Again, if your trigger is in the position shown below when you unholster, you need to take a serious look at your carry setup. Something or someone is pulling your trigger back:
If you are using a proper holster (by our standards, one that is molded to your particular firearm) and follow all of the safety protocols, a depress of the trigger should never occur if the firearm remains in the holster.
Another area of concern is holstering the firearm. This is rather obsolete given the scenerio above, but I’ll touch on it anyway. Holstering is something that everyone should practice on a regular basis. If you are still concerned with holstering with a round in the chamber, try the same thing as we just discussed. If you holster and unholster, and your trigger is still forward, you’re good to go. The main concern with holstering would be getting a piece of clothing inside the trigger guard, or a part of the holster itself. With the right setup and continued practice, this will become a non-issue.
I hope that this article helps at least one person who has been hesitant to carry with a round in the chamber. We’re all on different levels of carrying, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
You may also be interested in the following articles:
Is it safe to carry with a round in the chamber?
Should I Carry With A Round In The Chamber Part 1
Should I Carry With A Round In The Chamber Part 2
Why We Recommend Carrying With A Round In The Chamber (Warning: Graphic)
