Carrying a firearm loaded

[Svickstc]

Dave55's post was far less misleading than yours, and far less dangerous.

How about, "Carrying a gun is legal in Jersey. See their licensing laws."

i guess that is your opinion, but ok....i answered the OP's question directly...Dave55 threw in the LTCF as it would make it seem as if he almost needed a LTCF to carry a firearm loaded or not...

in my original post (which OP did not ask about transport laws) i mentioned this as a "please see," since that was not his direct question, but as a please be aware type of thing and were to look next..or even know to ask about transport laws next

if the OP had asked if it was legal to carry in Jersey... your smart answer would actually suffice

[Subverto]

To clarify (some of the responses confused me, and I know the law) with a LTCF, you are legally allowed to carry a loaded (round in the chamber) firearm anywhere firearms are legally allowed to be carried in PA.

[internet troll]

To clarify (some of the responses confused me, and I know the law) with a LTCF, you are legally allowed to carry a loaded (round in the chamber) firearm anywhere firearms are legally allowed to be carried in PA.

Yes.........

[TaePo]

I would have to say that it depends on the firearm.

I have two revolvers for example. The S&W .38 has no hammer block so it is technically less safe than my Ruger .357 which does (in the event of an accidental drop on the hammer). If the S&W were to fall out of my vertical shoulder holster while I bent over to pick something up, then it would hit hammer down with the barrel pointed at me. The Ruger would be less likely to accidentally fire in that situation.

My mouse gun is a semi-auto but it has several features which makes one in the chamber carry (as well as pocket carry) much safer than other pistols:

1) A separate safety that I don't actually use.

2) A flip-up barrel to make the firearm not able to fire and easily seen as cleared or at least out of battery. This feature also is good for arthritics as you can load the chamber through the barrel rather than pulling a slide back then dropping the magazine and topping it off again.

3) A hammer détente so the hammer is not engaged by the trigger and yet won't contact the firing pin if dropped. I carry in this mode and since the trigger is not engaged with the hammer yet the safety is redundant.

4) It is basically single action for the first round, requiring pulling the hammer fully back (it has a strong spring and a long pull so accidentally doing it is practically impossible). If you stop firing, the switch for the barrel flip will bring it out of battery so you can safely ride the hammer forward using your thumb with a trigger pull.

[RockIsland]

If there's not a round in the chamber then it won't go bang when you pull the trigger.

One argument for not is in a revolver. If the hammer is inadvertently hit with something when resting on the firing pin on a live round then bad things can happen. Same thing could occur in some semi-autos but carrying at half cock or cocked & locked would fix that problem. Even though it looks so scary!

My biggest problems with having to chamber a round in a self defense situation are the time it takes, and needing both hands to do it.

[GunLawyer001]

I assume you have a Pa LTCF. If so there is no law for the gun to be unloaded anywhere you can legally carry it.

The choice is up to you.

Would you keep a empty fire extinguisher on hand?

I would not keep an empty fire extinguisher around, but neither would I remove the extinguisher's safety pin and carry the extinguisher around with me.

The OP used the word "loaded" but the context was "chambered". PA law makes no distinction between unchambered and chambered; if there's ammo in the gun, or its loaded mag is in the same compartment, it's "loaded". Worse, an unlicensed person routinely driving around with an unloaded gun is still in violation of state law, because you need a license or one of the narrow exceptions to transport even an unloaded gun in a vehicle.

As a practical matter, an unchambered but loaded gun is just one step away from immediate use, the way a holstered gun is. There's a lot of utility to a loaded but unchambered gun. There's utility to a gun outside in your car, for that matter; several school shootings have been stopped by adults who retrieved guns from their cars.

Every choice has risks. Chambered guns have a lot more AD's and ND's than unchambered guns; unchambered guns require 2 hands and an extra fraction of a second to employ. It's a choice between accidentally shooting your kid in the face, or being unable to shoot an attacker in time.

[DavidTM]

I would have to say that it depends on the firearm.

I have two revolvers for example. The S&W .38 has no hammer block so it is technically less safe than my Ruger .357 which does (in the event of an accidental drop on the hammer). If the S&W were to fall out of my vertical shoulder holster while I bent over to pick something up, then it would hit hammer down with the barrel pointed at me. The Ruger would be less likely to accidentally fire in that situation.

I really don't get this discussion about revolvers at all.

The "issue" of dropping a revolver and causing an AD "revolves" (no pun intended) around the fact that is there or is there not a round loaded in the chamber that is directly under the firing pin?

It doesn't matter if your revolver has a transfer safety bar, is a hammerless model or not.

If this is a concern, then simply do place a loaded cartridge under the cylinder that is directly under the firing pin. Yes, it makes your six shooter a five shooter, your five shooter a 4 shooter, etc. However, on a DA pull or a SA pull the revolver rotates the next round in line for firing. So, the empty chamber moves aside. So what?

If you need more than 4 shots to remove your target, then buy a 6 shot revolver. Need 6 shots? Buy a 7 shot revolver. Need more? Buy some speed loaders and practice.

Dave

[Roland of Gilead]

. . .It's one of the most debated topics I've seen, up there with 9mm vs .45

That's a true statement.

As far as I'm concerned, it's always loaded w/ one in the chamber, and then train with the safety(ies) as required.

Anything else is not "okey dokey" in my book. *







* (Re: A generally pretty funny thread a number of years ago around here. I can't find a forum link, but this is the guy who wouldn't take 'shut up' for an answer . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbugjWyegHE )

[sprrdhawk44]

I would not keep an empty fire extinguisher around, but neither would I remove the extinguisher's safety pin and carry the extinguisher around with me.

The OP used the word "loaded" but the context was "chambered". PA law makes no distinction between unchambered and chambered; if there's ammo in the gun, or its loaded mag is in the same compartment, it's "loaded". Worse, an unlicensed person routinely driving around with an unloaded gun is still in violation of state law, because you need a license or one of the narrow exceptions to transport even an unloaded gun in a vehicle.

As a practical matter, an unchambered but loaded gun is just one step away from immediate use, the way a holstered gun is. There's a lot of utility to a loaded but unchambered gun. There's utility to a gun outside in your car, for that matter; several school shootings have been stopped by adults who retrieved guns from their cars.

Every choice has risks. Chambered guns have a lot more AD's and ND's than unchambered guns; unchambered guns require 2 hands and an extra fraction of a second to employ. It's a choice between accidentally shooting your kid in the face, or being unable to shoot an attacker in time.

[iamtommyboy]

Dave55's post was far less misleading than yours, and far less dangerous.

How about, "Carrying a gun is legal in Jersey. See their licensing laws."

I can carry in NJ now? Sweet!