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question

newcarry

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Question, I am new to carrying either open or concealed, I do have my carry permit from my county sheriff which states for protection on it. I own and carry a Ruger 9mm, the question I have for anyone who might know is when I carry can a round be chambered or cant it? I have heard two different stories on this and I want to make sure that I am legal when carrying. I know I will get the "doesn't do much good if it isn't" speech, but I am looking for the law that says it can be or cant be or if there is such a law at all on either. Any help at all I would appreciate greatly, thank you very much for your help, and just as a side question if you will, has anyone out here been detained or stopped for arrested for open carrying?? I know it is legal and I have been OC now for 2 weeks everywhere I go other than work, which is around the Allentown area with no problems so far and hopefully wont have. Wanted to ask one other question since no one has responded.,.. is carrying concealed or OC in or on state land, IE campgrounds etc legal or illegal? and what are the laws on this. Can I carry either way on state land like campgrounds on me or in my car?
 

Steve in PA

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Yes, you can carry your handgun with a round chambered. Or, you could for some ungodly reason, choose not to. Its your choice. However, if anyone tells you that you can't carry with a round in the chamber, bust out laughing and walk away from them. There is no law that says you can't carry with one in the chamber.

There is no law against carrying in campgrounds. However, if they are in state parks, the parks have a "regulation"......not a law, but a "regulaton" that says you must keep firearms cased, unless you are hunting. Personally, I would carry concealed and not think twice about it.

With a carry permit you can carry a loaded handgun in your vehicle.
 

WhiteFeather

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Just my .02,

There have been endless discussions about the practicality and safety of having a round chambered. To answer your question however it is perfectly legal to have a round in the chamber. If you do or not should depend on your level of comfort and not someones opinion.

You may OC in a state park if you have a valid hunting license for pistol hunting. And that is what you are doing. Much beyond that I am unsure.

For the arguement of "One in the chamber." You need to be comfortable with your firearm. If you feel that it is not safe and will not feel safe with one ready to go than you must make a choice to either buy a gun that has a safety feature that you will feel safe with or... Practice practice practice with cocking the slide when you get into a situation.

Personally I have one ready to go and I feel fine with it like that. I carry a 1911 so between the grip safety and my own common sense I feel very comfortable with my style of carry. Good luck and enjoy!
 

openryan

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I don't carry a round in the chamber...

But I think it is certainly better to have a firearm with no round in the chamber than no firearm at all.

Better to have that 'paperweight' than not :lol:
 

exceltoexcel

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people say this nonsense all the time, while I'm drawing I chamber a round, it takes no more additional time to do so and I don't have to worry about an accidental discharge or some tool trying to fire my own gun without cambering. It's a personal preference much like open carry. WGAF how I carry or how inept others might be at cambering a round under pressure. Carry it any way you want, I'll do the same....
 

psmartin

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openryan wrote:
I don't carry a round in the chamber...

But I think it is certainly better to have a firearm with no round in the chamber than no firearm at all.

Better to have that 'paperweight' than not :lol:
I carried that way for several months with my Glock (I figured, no safety, better safe than sorry).. One of the off-duty officers we hire for security gave me hell about carrying unloaded. His point was that when you NEED your gun, you need it NOW, and if you jam it while racking the slide(which is common in panic), you could be screwed. Thescenerio he was speaking of was responding to an armed robbery, and if you're hunkered, when you rack the slide, you're giving away the element of suprise and the robber might start shooting first.

When the police(albeit, police we are paying for directly) tell me to keep my gun loaded, I'm keeping it loaded.
 

Steve in PA

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Claiming it doesn't take time to rack the slide is very, very wrong.

It does take time and like the poster above mentioned.....when you need your gun you need it NOW. Your life may depend on you firing the gun as soon as you get your hand on it.

How good are you at racking the slide with one hand? What if your fighting off an attacker and can only draw with one hand? What if your other hand is injured? What if your trying to drag your wife or other loved one out of harms way??

Carry the way you want to but its your life, not mine. I would never ever carry a gun without a round in the chamber.
 

openryan

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Steve in PA wrote:
Claiming it doesn't take time to rack the slide is very, very wrong.

It does take time and like the poster above mentioned.....when you need your gun you need it NOW. Your life may depend on you firing the gun as soon as you get your hand on it.

How good are you at racking the slide with one hand? What if your fighting off an attacker and can only draw with one hand? What if your other hand is injured? What if your trying to drag your wife or other loved one out of harms way??

Carry the way you want to but its your life, not mine. I would never ever carry a gun without a round in the chamber.
Who said that it doesn't take any time, I would agree with you that it does take time, nobody is arguing that fact...

How much time it takes can be debated as to experience, practice, and so on

As for the inquiries, yes I can actually rack the slide with one hand, if you use an over hand grip and wrap your thumb around the butt of the gun, its really not terribly hard, it does take practice to get used to this method, but not at all impossible.

By the way, I am happy to carry a round in the chamber if you would like to back up any accidental discharge by paying me a monitary sum for any such incident :)
 

exceltoexcel

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Actually because I've practiced so much it's habit, yes I can rack my slide with one hand. This is done by simply sliding the gun back down on my beltI rack the slide, if you're wearing jeans you can and probably will scratch the slide.However in a typical situation I fire one handed, so, asI push the gun forward my left hand holds the slide, chambered round and no it doesn't take one moment longer? Why would it? I'm not about to start hip firing, i'm not trained to do so and that i wouldn't recommend to anyone but its your lawsuit:shock:.
 

Comp-tech

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openryan wrote:
By the way, I am happy to carry a round in the chamber if you would like to back up any accidental discharge by paying me a monitary sum for any such incident
Not intending to "dis" your mode of carry but, why would you be concerned about ADs with a Sigma?
The Sigma (and the Glock from which they are copied) are, by way of design, one of the LEAST likely to have an AD....unless the user "accidently" pulls the trigger, it would in fact, be near impossible to have an AD otherwise.
In these designs, a chambered round is no more likely to AD than one in the mag.
Again, not a "dis"...just curious.....
 

openryan

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Comp-tech wrote:
openryan wrote:
By the way, I am happy to carry a round in the chamber if you would like to back up any accidental discharge by paying me a monitary sum for any such incident
Not intending to "dis" your mode of carry but, why would you be concerned about ADs with a Sigma?
The Sigma (and the Glock from which they are copied) are, by way of design, one of the LEAST likely to have an AD....unless the user "accidently" pulls the trigger, it would in fact, be near impossible to have an AD otherwise.
In these designs, a chambered round is no more likely to AD than one in the mag.
Again, not a "dis"...just curious.....
Ah yes, the flaw of handguns, and guns in general, accidental discharge...

Notice how it is LEAST likely to AD, had you said impossible you may have changed my mind :)
 

openryan

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imperialism2024 wrote:
I'm be interested to see statistics of the probability of AD in handguns that are properly holstered and, as someone had mentioned, isn't the result of an accidental trigger pull...
In theory, this number should be ZERO... however that is not the part that I am interested in, also I do not keep one in the pipe, as my girlfriend has a young daughter, and although she would not be able to rack the slide, I like to err on the side of caution.
 

Comp-tech

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openryan wrote:
Comp-tech wrote:
openryan wrote:
By the way, I am happy to carry a round in the chamber if you would like to back up any accidental discharge by paying me a monitary sum for any such incident
Not intending to "dis" your mode of carry but, why would you be concerned about ADs with a Sigma?
The Sigma (and the Glock from which they are copied) are, by way of design, one of the LEAST likely to have an AD....unless the user "accidently" pulls the trigger, it would in fact, be near impossible to have an AD otherwise.
In these designs, a chambered round is no more likely to AD than one in the mag.
Again, not a "dis"...just curious.....
Ah yes, the flaw of handguns, and guns in general, accidental discharge...

Notice how it is LEAST likely to AD, had you said impossible you may have changed my mind :)
LOL....I wasn't trying to change your mind....like I said, just curious.....the "young daughter" is a valid reason IMHO.
I could never say "impossible".....it is possible to have a round in the mag AD but, I don't believe that "one in the pipe" is any more likely to AD than one in the mag (w/o a trigger pull)......in these designs.
Would you say that the Sigma is as safe as a Glock?....give the site below a full read....I hope mine is as durable/reliable:)
http://www.theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Item
 

Steve in PA

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Just remember, the time it takes to rack the slide could mean the difference between life or death.

But hey, its your funeral, not mine.
 

DT4E31

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If someone has a gun in your face, it doesnt really matter whether you have a round chambered or not, your out of luck. Not carrying one in the chamber is personal preference and should not be considered an ABSOLUTE evil. Im sure one of these IPSC champions could easily load a magazine, chamber a round and put three rounds on target before so of these thugs even realized what was going on. It personal preference and personal ability that should decide whether to carry one in the chamber or not.
 

DT4E31

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If someone has a gun in your face, it doesnt really matter whether you have a round chambered or not, your out of luck. Not carrying one in the chamber is personal preference and should not be considered an ABSOLUTE evil. Im sure one of these IPSC champions could easily load a magazine, chamber a round and put three rounds on target before so of these thugs even realized what was going on. It personal preference and personal ability that should decide whether to carry one in the chamber or not.
 

CowboyKen

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I am carrying a S & W 442. If I pull the trigger it will go BANG! Do I have "one in the chamber"? Is it unsafe to carry?

Please let me know as I am curious. Thank you.

Ken
 

Comp-tech

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CowboyKen wrote:
I am carrying a S & W 442. If I pull the trigger it will go BANG! Do I have "one in the chamber"? Is it unsafe to carry?

Please let me know as I am curious. Thank you.

Ken
If you can pull the trigger and it "go bang", you DO have a round in the chamber.....hopefully all 5 if you need it:)
It's not, IMHO, an unsafe weapon to carry with a round in the chamber.....so long as you pull the trigger ONLY when you intend for it to "go bang"
The "one in the pipe" issue seems to be more discussed regarding semi-autos....there are however "wheelguns" that warrant consideration on the subject. Some older designs didn't have safety features that more modern revolvers do and could be fired by a "blow" to the exposed hammer....these, again IMHO, should be carried "on an empty chamber"
 
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