Recently, another internet kerfuffle over \u2013 nothing, really.<\/p>\n
The premise is that someone, somewhere carries a semiauto pistol for self-protection and carries it half-loaded.<\/p>\n
Bless his heart.<\/p>\n
The arguments were long and loud, in the style of the information two-track (through a farm field), and, in the end, no resolution was found.<\/p>\n
While going over the various (emotional, non-reasoned) arguments, I found some gems, paraphrased here as I don\u2019t have permission to hold denizens of the digital world up to scorn and ridicule.<\/p>\n The original poster noted that one side of the issue are, functionally, NDPs. Kind of like \u201cnon-player characters,\u201d NDP is a Chuck Taylor term for \u201cnon-dedicated personnel.\u201d Those are the kind with only the least passing familiarity\/skills in the carry of firearms. A \u201cMaster-\u201c class shooter, according to his response, noted that he carries in Condition Three (\u201cchamber empty, full magazine, hammer (if so equipped) down\u201d) for personal protection, not on the range.<\/p>\n Because you\u2019re an expert in competing in certain range games makes you as proficient in personal security as the typical gun writer is knowledgeable about brain surgery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The individual starting the argument noted that the Condition Three crowd never seem to make it into a force-on-force exercise. If they do, in the midst of a pitched, entangled battle, they never seem to get the gun loaded \u2013 nor use the hands-on skills to counter the assault, gain distance and sort it out.<\/p>\n Strangely, those who carry \u201chalf-loaded\u201d never seem to ask about availability of interactive roleplay training. He notes that those who say \u201cyou won\u2019t have time to aim\u201d in an assault figure they\u2019ll have time to load the gun \u201cwhen the flag flies.\u201d<\/p>\n Or to get back to their vehicle for their \u201ctruck gun,\u201d another innovation of insignificant utility.<\/p>\n Some say it\u2019s personal preference and, forgive me for being conciliatory, but that is correct. You ride, you decide. I\u2019m not for a law telling you how to carry that piece. If you want to be like the heroic but unprepared individual in Twin Falls who ran into a gunfight with a holstered, half-empty pistol, that\u2019s your business.<\/p>\n Congratulations. You gave us another casualty to deal with at a potential mass casualty event. And allowed the offender to continue his homicidal stupidity.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to carry \u201cappendix\u201d (sic) with your striker fired gun? Get a hammer-fired gun, perhaps a revolver.<\/p>\n Or change your carry location. Or, if you prefer \u2013 and I do not recommend it \u2013 carry it half-loaded.<\/p>\n Years ago, I had a trainer of firearms self-protection (using a foreign inspired training program and doctrine) chastise me online for carrying a gun in Condition One (actually loaded). I responded to him that carrying it in that fashion was obligatory by agency regulations (and common sense).<\/p>\n Actually, I don\u2019t approach the issue from the \u201cspeed to the first good hit\u201d direction. I do insist on rational discourse, something that flees from the \u201coutrage-addicted\u201d crowd who concentrates on the emotional aspects.<\/p>\n First is safety. Condition Three carry promotes violations of Rule 1, also a Cooper-inspired bit of doctrine:\u00a0All guns are always loaded<\/i>.<\/p>\n Examine that for a bit:\u00a0always<\/i>. The approach to a gun that is \u2013 or may be \u2013 loaded is caution. Because Rule 1 is true, we never allow to muzzle to\u00a0cover<\/i>\u00a0anything that we want to avoid destroying. That\u2019s Rule 2.<\/p>\n The problem with half-loaded\/Condition Three\/chamber-empty carry is that it allows you to handle the gun as if it\u2019s\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0loaded. But without X-Ray vision, how can you know?<\/p>\n Rule 1. And if it\u2019s Rule 1, it\u2019s loaded. All the time, everywhere.<\/p>\n I know of around a dozen gun accidents directly attributed to Condition Three carry. In each case, the reflexive response was \u201cit wasn\u2019t loaded.\u201d<\/p>\n Hence the ringing in your ears, the accelerated pulse with corresponding blood pressure, the appearance of a new hole in something (please, not \u201csomeone\u201d) \u2026<\/p>\n So Condition Three of a defense handgun is, demonstrably, unsafe.<\/p>\n Consider also the aftermath of a shooting engagement. Let\u2019s say that you, the lover of the empty chamber, get involved in a shooting. Perhaps it loaded when you fumbled about with fingers that felt like bananas trying to rack the slide. Maybe you made the hit (please, no YouTube mag dumps) and he went down. Or ran off.<\/p>\n Now what do you do?<\/p>\n There are likely other armed citizens about, some members of the constabulary, and you\u2019re standing there with a smoking gun.<\/p>\n Reholster it? No \u2013 that would be \u201cunsafe,\u201d in the Condition Three world. Unless you induced a stoppage (more likely in real life engagements than in range world), there\u2019s another round in there and you\u00a0can\u2019t<\/i>\u00a0holster it like that. It \u201cwouldn\u2019t be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n But now, post-engagement, and having faced a near-death experience (it was justified, right?), now you have to fumble around trying to\u00a0unload<\/i>\u00a0the very implement that saved your life. Fingers cold and trembling from vasoconstriction, shallow and rapid breathing, pupils blown, you try to download the gun by one round.<\/p>\n You did remember to pull the mag first, before trying to rack the slide with shaking hands, right?<\/p>\n Perhaps the downed offender reanimates (something that\u2019s not rare in the world of the pistol fight). Or his pals show up.<\/p>\n Or the sudden shout,\u00a0POLICE! DON\u2019T MOVE!<\/i><\/p>\n Yeah. Condition Three ain\u2019t for me. You do what you want, but try to have your eyes open, examine the facts.<\/p>\n Lose the fears and emotions, make your decision. I know what mine is.<\/p>\n \u2013 Rich Grassi<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Noted from Sheriff Jim: Empty Arguments over Empty Chambers Recently, another internet kerfuffle over \u2013 nothing, really. The premise is that someone, somewhere carries a semiauto pistol for self-protection and carries it half-loaded. Bless his heart. The arguments were long and loud, in the style of the information two-track (through a farm field), and, in … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-safety","category-self-defense"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118671"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118672,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118671\/revisions\/118672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/members-prd.theoutdoorwire.com\/images\/aa4320cb-606c-4ef8-a54a-af8fb10e37e7.jpg\")
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