That is called "Catastrophic Learning" and it is pretty hard to get out of our minds when something like that happens. Example: Cave Boy finds a new cave and goes in to explore only to find a big hungry cave bear who nearly kills him before his escape. Now every time he comes across a new cave, what do you think he is thinking about??tcme64 said:But that one time my Springfield fired on it's own gave me an entirely new respect for all guns. Then they come out with the recall that the gun could fire without pulling the trigger. But stuff happens.
What a common sense, realistic and refreshing post. IMO a thumb safety on a Ruger SR or 1911 is a very good idea.Yawn said:The safety features of the SR series are quite different than those of the XD series. Namely, to rack the slide properly on an XD, you are depressing the main safety on the firearm. Standard argument... that's 1 in a million... which may be true, but is enough if your that one... and it only takes one time. The SR series has a better safety protocol system, and one that would have more likely caught that from happening since the main safety mechanisms are not disengaged in order to rack the slide. But more often then not, it will be user error as opposed to what you went through. People's response, especially on a gun forum, is "this is my safety", and they point to their index finger... as if they have forgotten that a firearm can discharge at times without a trigger pull. And that argument only carries a shred of weight with anyone who doesn't deal with people on a regular basis. Everyone has dumb moments, and I see a lot of them. I also do a lot of them. Dumb moments happen with firearms too (let me know if you need stories of this). It isn't that someone is less than in practice, they are human. The fault comes in when they ignore this fact. The push is to mitigate these moments through proper handling practices, but exhorting that alone as the final solution to solving this has always seemed foolish to me. As the Bible says, pride comes before the fall. Are these the same people that don't wear a seat belt or a life jacket, or are they hypocrites. I am not for regulations, especially such as California. But lets not throw the baby out with the bath water and there-bye not utilize smart ideas. I carry an SR45 daily. It is fully loaded with a loaded mag on my other hip. I am carrying both right now, and have been comfortably doing so all day. It is very safe in my crossbreed supertuck holster. But, it is also very safe when I remove it from the holster, because of consistent handling practices AND a fantastic safety system. A safety system that, for matter of record, is very very easy (WITH ZERO LOSS OF TIME DURING DRAW OR ANY OTHER PART OF WEAPON UTILIZATION) and natural to disengage when I am wanting to do so, and much more difficult when I don't want to.
One more thing to think about. Racking a slide is noisy, and may not be a good idea in a self defense situation (sometimes in those situation, silence is a must). And, in most states, racking the slide can and often is viewed as an act of aggression - threatening with a deadly weapon - often felonies. If I get into a potential self defense situation, I can either click the thumb safety off prior or part of my draw... because the round is already chambered. People will not know I have a weapon until I am intending to make use of it. And, if nothing comes of it... I walk away without any implications as well. The act of removing my weapon in order to rack the slide is most likely a brandishing crime... even in open carry states.
Hope that all helps.
hittman said:Do some people think too much about carrying?
With the LC9 for example, load it, chamber one, set the safety and away you go.
If someone is not comfortable carrying a semi-auto, maybe a wheel gun is a good alternative.
MountainWalker said:Yawn, the malfunction of the XDs pistol(discharge when racking slide) has been fixed by Springfield Armory. I am completely confident that these pistols are now 100% safe. I am sure you and everyone else will point a pistol in a safe direction when charging chamber, as well we all should do. I think it is perfectly safe and prudent to keep a home defense gun un-chambered with a full magazine, ready to be quickly charged. Perhaps you have thought this out too far to come to an all or nothing conclusion. I keep my Glock 23 hidden out of view, but easily accessible ready to be racked in case of need. I can assure you it is ready to use as self defense tool.
Another low cost option: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/391612/stack-on-strong-box-safe-personal-safe-with-electronic-lock?cm_vc=ProductFinding
The original question was if it was safe to carry chambered. I would say yes with a proper holster and professional training.
Sure don't want this to happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTGmTrQXrwg
MountainWalker said:hittman said:Do some people think too much about carrying?
With the LC9 for example, load it, chamber one, set the safety and away you go.
If someone is not comfortable carrying a semi-auto, maybe a wheel gun is a good alternative.
Yes! With some practice, the simple little J-frame can be a viable self defense tool. The actual likely-hood of actually using a pistol in self defense is remote, but handling on a daily basis represents a real risk. I would think that shop owners in some areas have more risk than the rest of us.
The use of force is really fraught with many pitfalls. Most are not aware and think that since they are the good guys, they are entitled to blow away a "dirt bag" and it's going to turn out like they were one of good guys on NCIS. This is a place to start: http://useofforce.us/
I think your explanation of the safety advantages was very good indeed. It is not necessary for us to be on the same page with everyone, but we might be closer than you think. I think that hittman's comments were in reference to thinking too much about carrying an auto, which was in response to OP's original question. He suggested that folks worrying about carrying the auto could get a wheel gun as a more comfortable alternative.Yawn said:MountainWalker said:hittman said:Do some people think too much about carrying?
With the LC9 for example, load it, chamber one, set the safety and away you go.
If someone is not comfortable carrying a semi-auto, maybe a wheel gun is a good alternative.
Yes! With some practice, the simple little J-frame can be a viable self defense tool. The actual likely-hood of actually using a pistol in self defense is remote, but handling on a daily basis represents a real risk. I would think that shop owners in some areas have more risk than the rest of us.
The use of force is really fraught with many pitfalls. Most are not aware and think that since they are the good guys, they are entitled to blow away a "dirt bag" and it's going to turn out like they were one of good guys on NCIS. This is a place to start: http://useofforce.us/
Well, I appreciate the compliment up top, but aside from that... I don't think you and I are on the same page. And frankly, you contradicted yourself. You said that some think too much about carrying, and then sighted the risks of carrying... in a way to attempt to insight us to think through the risks. Anyway OP, hope all of this helps!
I signed up for a program called (I think, too lazy to go to the bedroom for my wallet) "Texas Law Shield" - it's a program that has contracts with gun-law-savvy attorneys in most areas and an 800 number to call for assistance. It's amazing how many basic criminal lawyers know absolutely nothing about how to defend a CHL case and in many cases "Joe Blow Down the Street" will do a VERY poor job of representing the CHL holder. I don't recall the cost of the program, but they will have a knowledgeable attorney on your case from the get-go. Basically, if you do have to defend yourself you call them and then shut the heck up until somebody from their group is on the case.MountainWalker said:...when in fact more effort should be spent on learning how to deal with the legal issues if we forced to protect ourselves.