Bear Defense | Problems with Empty Chamber Carry

AmmoLand ^ | April 1, 2024 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Carrying a gun for defensive purposes, with an empty chamber, is a controversial measure which proponents claim enhances safety. It is one of the reasons handguns appear to work better for self defense against bears than long guns. Long guns are more commonly carried with an empty chamber than are handguns. Handguns are more commonly carried for self defense than long guns. A recent bear attack illustrates the problem of carrying a long gun with an empty chamber. From Alaskapublic.org 2021:

“I remember looking over my shoulder, and I was saying something to them when I kind of heard the bushes crashing, and that’s when I looked up and looked over toward [where] the sound was coming from,” he said. “I couldn’t even really see it all at first because the brush was pretty thick, but about 20 feet away … this bear comes charging out of the brush at full speed.”

The victim had warning. He heard the bushes crashing. He had time to look in the direction the noise was coming from. It was almost certainly a large animal, a bear or a moose. If he had a loaded shotgun in his hands, he could have covered the area the sound was coming from, at the ready. The victim had a pre-concieved notion of how an attack might happen.  The most common way in which bear maulings occur is with a surprise attack from short distances.

Coltharp said it happened so fast.

“And without any, you know, warning at all. Normally, when they’re defensive over their territory, they let you know,” he said. “They get all huffy and puffy and they start popping their jaw and making a lot of noise, and there was there was absolutely none of that going on.

[Openurmind]

“Most of the mistaken identity cases I have read about involved shooting at noise, or mere movement.”

Exactly right. Me too.

[faucetman]

If you have a gun with you, what is it for that you WOULDN’T have one chambered?

A walking stick? A decoration? Something to make you look manly (an “accessory”)?

There’s a deer. Wait I have to chamber.. lots of movement, noise, CLICK, CLACK, CLICK, now where did he go?

A bear is CHARGING, let me just....UGH! HELP, HELP, HELP, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. Silence.

[marktwain]

If you have a gun with you, what is it for that you WOULDN’T have one chambered?

Lots of people carry guns for hunting. Many of them see no reason to carry with a chamber loaded, because they worry about negligent discharges. They never expect to have to use the gun for defense of self and others.