Listen, I get it. When I first started my journey of concealed carry, I had a fear that I would do something wrong and my gun would just “go off.” Looking at that chunk of metal and polymer, I was fascinated by its power, but terrified at the same time. And I had children around, so I was extra cautious and didn’t feel comfortable carrying it, let alone with “one in the chamber.”
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For those who are not familiar with that phrase yet, it means carrying the pistol with a round of ammunition chambered in the barrel so that at the press of the trigger, it goes BANG. Very little divides the gun world as much as this issue, but this article is less an argument for why you should carry with “one in the pipe” versus not. This is more about the steps that I took to get comfortable, especially as a relatively inexperienced mom with a lot of kids. My experience may look different than others, but I’m hoping that this will help you start moving toward carrying confidently and safely.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than years since I shot my first gun with the intention of defending myself and my family. My youngest was only two-years old and I still carried her around a lot and I had four others in tow. Safety was a huge concern and the thought of my gun going off while I was carrying it was forefront on my mind and fears. I heard that in other countries, “Israeli carry” was common (loaded magazine, empty chamber) and so, unnecessary to be in a more “dangerous” condition, especially if you had children that could get to the gun, or if you didn’t want to shoot yourself with a negligent discharge. Or so I thought. I started to do some more research and as I decided that I would carry on my body, I found a bunch of articles, stories and videos that convinced me to work toward carrying loaded. For reference, at that time I was carrying a striker-fired micro-compact.
I would be remiss if I didn’t share what convinced me of chamber carry first:
Many in the industry will refer to how you carry your firearm as carry conditions or firearm readiness and it’s helpful for me to refer to them to explain my process.
Condition 4: Empty chamber, no magazine
This is how I began to carry around the house. It’s pretty obvious why this condition is not ideal, but I actually did this for about a month in order to get comfortable and to get used to the feel of the gun. I got accustomed to wearing a firearm pretty quickly so I was ready for Condition 3.
Condition 3: Chamber empty, magazine inserted
This is the one that is known as Israeli carry and many choose this condition because they feel like there are less chances for a negligent discharge. I camped here for quite a while. First, I used only dummy rounds at home and transitioned to live ammo and practiced multiple times putting my gun in the safe, putting it in my holster on my person, drawing, and racking it after drawing. This is what I noticed after a few months (yes, months!):
Condition 2: One round in chamber, magazine inserted, hammer down
This mainly applies to single or double action and didn’t apply to my gun at the time, but is something you can practice if you are not quite comfortable.
Condition 1: One round in chamber, magazine inserted, “cocked and locked”
By the time I got to this stage, I was very conditioned to carrying a gun both inside and outside the home. It was becoming a part of my wardrobe and everyday wear. I knew that I had the skills and the attitude I needed to be safe and while I had a long way to go with being fast and super accurate, I was confident that the way I was carrying was safe and the best condition for me. It took me about six months to get here comfortably. It might take time for you and that’s OK! Breaking it down systematically and allowing myself to get confident at my own pace was really helpful.
There’s also Condition 0. That’s when it’s either go time or, more in my case, fun range time. It’s not a condition that is safe to carry in so this condition is really only for when you’re ready to fire whether it’s at a bad guy or at a target.
If you want to carry your firearm with one in the chamber but aren’t quite comfortable, maybe take these steps, and you’ll get there sooner than you think!
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Julie Park was born in South Korea, raised in Canada, and is now living in her beloved Rockies in beautiful Colorado Springs with her husband and 5 kids. An attempted break-in transformed this stay-at-home, unassuming woman into a pistol-packin’ mama serious about the safety of herself and her loved ones. She is a certified NRA pistol instructor and Chief Range Safety Officer, and has been teaching and training women (and men!) just like her for the past several years. She has been a chapter and state leader in women’s shooting organizations and an instructor at her local range. She loves discovering new guns and products for women and sharing her passion with others. If she’s not shooting and training, she is homeschooling her kids, enjoying travels and connecting with her favorite books and people. View all posts by Julie Park
