More Meditations on Rule 1

Tam made a post earlier on the useful(less)ness of loaded chamber indicators. She pointed out that the LCI is one of the most useless features of a firearm, right up there with a magazine safety (I agree with this, which is why the one in my carry gun is going away). This gave me pause and a wonder.

This weekend at KR Training, Karl Rehn, the proprietor, pointed out that the LCI on the Springfield XD was a nice feature, because you can check to see if the gun is loaded while in the holster or drawer at night. This gave me a great pause, not enough to interrupt him, but it did cause me to pause. Now, don't get me wrong, I think Karl has a point, to an extent, a tactile feel for a round in the chamber is a nice indicator and I believe he meant it in the following way. He meant that you can check for the little tab, if it's up, you can reasonable assume that you do not need to chamber a round to make the gun function. However, he did then point out that a press check is a prudent thing to do, to confirm that status.

For me, the part that had me staring into space and thinking, was the thought that my gun might be unloaded. Anyone who has read this blog more than once (or just once), would realize that by now, there is only really ONE rule for gun safety that must be followed at all times. If THE rule is followed, then we can remember to not break the other rules and act accordingly. We all know what the rule is, THE *%@#%!$^% GUN IS ALWAYS @$^%@*^%*^ LOADED. So for me, Karl pointing out that an LCI can be used to verify a round in the chamber seems ludicrous, OF COURSE there is a round in the chamber, I put it there and have been in control of the gun ever since. And that's why I agree that an LCI is a useless feature on the gun, it's always loaded, we don't need no stinkin' indicators to tell us that.

Now, I must admit, I do press check the semi-autos and open the revolver cylinders twice a day on the guns I carry. Why? This is to confirm that while the gun was in the safe, the little ammunition fairies didn't come and remove the Gold Dots from my chambers. Then, I verify again, when I get home, to make sure that the elves making pocket lint didn't remove my Gold Dots, either. So far, I've never found an unloaded gun, I'd like to keep it that way.

It may seem counter intuitive, but if we all remember, all the time, just mantra it to yourself in your sleep. All loaded, all the time. All loaded, all the time. Mix that together with other good mantras. All loaded, all the time, front sight, squeeze, front sight, all the time. This way you've got it down...

-Rob