It seems like every day I hear from someone that does not carry a round in the chamber. Sometimes they claim that they don't feel safe carrying a round in the chamber. Even more common is the claim that they will "have time to chamber a round and give them that extra second to think".
This is a VERY dangerous path to set yourself on.
On the former (not feeling safe with a round in the chamber), get some futher training and practice with your chosen firearm. Get confident in it. If you can't, then find a firearm you can be confident in. Police have been carrying Glocks for years with rounds in the chamber. It's the smart thing to do. Just carry it according to good practices (good holster, no loose carry (pocket or purse), etc.) and you will be fine.
As for the latter issue (believing that you will have time to chamber a round, and thinking that you will be able to use that time to think), you need to clear up your decision making skills. This involves two levels of mental preparation...
Are you prepared to truly defend your life, or the life of someone that you elect to protect?
Are you confident in your ability to make the decision when the time comes?
On the first part, you need to make this decision EVERY DAY - not just when you go to take the CFP course, or when you take the paperwork to BCI. Every morning you need to ask yourself - and honestly answer - if you are prepared to possibly use lethal force to defend yourself or someone else that you elect to cover?
If you can't honestly answer yes to that question, then you need to find out why. What is it that is making you feel that way? Often it comes down to doubting yourself. You need to get over that. You need to come to believe that your life is worth something, and that you are worth living. Whatever the issue, you are the only one that can work that one out.
On the second part, I teach my students two things...
Situational Awareness - Knowing where you are at all times, who is around you, what is going on, and if there is anything off about the situation.
If there is anything off or odd about the situation, ask yourself if you really need to be there? If you don't, give yourself the option to leave.
Scenario Planning - In your mind, always be thinking "what would I do if X happens". After a while, you will grow confident in your decision making skills
In my line of work, I usually open carry a Glock Model 21 (.45ACP, the same firearm I carried on duty) or a Taurus .357 Magnum with a 4" barrel - depending on my mood. They are both powerful rounds that have a good chance of quickly stopping a threat. Both firearms are fully loaded and ready to go by simply pulling the trigger.
I carry this way because I am confident in my decision making abilities. If I make the decision to shoot, I'm looking to stop an identified threat. If I could carry a .50 BMG I would, but there is no practical way to do so. So I carry the biggest fireram that I can practially carry (and still conceal if desired) and I am prepared to use it - both mentally and physically - including having it fully loaded.
After this, if you are still not sure about carrying a live round in the chamber, let's look at the "Tueller Drill".
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill...
"A common test of handgun skill was to start with one’s hands at shoulder level with a holstered gun and place two shots on a target 7 yards (6.4 m) away within 1.5 seconds. Typically, those trained with handguns can complete the drill in 1.3–1.4 seconds, although some have managed the task in less than one second.
Tueller wondered how quickly an attacker with a knife could cover those same 21 feet (6.4 m). So he measured as volunteers raced to stab the target. He determined that it could be done in 1.5 seconds. These results were first published as an article in SWAT magazine in 1983 and in a police training video by the same title, "How Close is Too Close?"
It gives you these factors...
Action is faster than Reaction
Knife/Rock in hand is greater than gun in holster
Now you need to keep in mind that this intended for LEO's that have a ready-to-draw firearm that has a round in the chamber. Concealed carry means that your sidearm won't be nearly as accessible. Your draw time will most likely be longer.
Concealed carry = less ready to draw = major disadvantage.
Concealed carry with no round in chamber = severe disadvantage - possibly fatal.
When you factor in muscle memory in a stress situation (loss of fine motor skills, muscles being more able to "remember" gross skills), you start to get the idea.
Get your decision making skills up to par BEFORE you need them. When you need them, you won't have the time to develop them.
If they aren't already there, you are hosed.
You will need to have already made the important determinations, and draw and fire your sidearm with no extraneous actions or thinking about anything other than stopping the threat. You don't have that much time, and you won't have that extra second to think about anything other than clearing the holster/concealment, getting on target, pulling the trigger, and stopping the threat without hitting anything else.
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Last updated: 02-July-2010.