I would never carry without one in the pipe.
Neither would I if going on patrol. In the military on base or aboard ship and under arms, we carried 1911s with full mag, safety off and no round in the chamber. When we were in condition 1 readiness that was different, we chambered a round.
Whether to carry as a civilian with a round in the chamber is a judgement call, really. Its a matter of readiness versus guarding against accidental discharge.
It depends on the situation, the weapon and the shooter. If you have a semi-auto handgun with a firing pin block safety like the newer (to me) Berettas then yes, carry with a chambered round if you practice regularly including drawing your weapon and are proficient with it. And of course, if you find yourself in a situation where you feel compelled to draw your weapon, by all means chamber a round.
My wife is a good shot at the range. However, she is not a frequent shooter and does not practice as often as I would wish. So for her, a revolver is a better choice for personal carry. When the sh*t hits the fan, things happen very quickly and you must be familiar with your weapon so that all is second nature. I want her to be able to put rounds quickly and consistently on target using the aiming points I showed her.
Last thing she needs is to jack around with a semi-auto (chambering round, making sure safety is off) in a situation like that. Possibly have it go off pulling it out of her purse if she carried with a round in the chamber.
Ever look inside a lady's purse? I have no idea how they manage to cram all that stuff in there, let alone how they can find anything without dumping it all out. That's what I mean by it depends on the shooter.
Now if she would carry in a proper holster that would be different, but with a semi-auto purse gun or pocket gun, its just too easy to have an accidental discharge if you carry a semi-auto with a round in the chamber in my view.
FWIW...... Here is a short video of a police officer shooting himself in the hand whilst looking at a semi-auto handgun in a pawn shop. The pawn shop guy didn't make sure there was no round in the chamber before handing it to the officer. The officer didn't make sure there was no round in the chamber before working the action and held it pointed down the counter where other people were standing. I don't know how the discharged round didn't hit anybody else when the inevitable happened, but my point is...... All it takes is letting your guard down for a moment. One failure to engage brain housing group...... And even someone who should know better can accidentally discharge a weapon......
Just my take on it,
Harry
