A question for this group--

[krispos42]

15. Carrying for self-defense generally means being able to draw and shoot quickly.

Because you can't guarantee you'll have time to get your gun ready and you can't guarantee you'll have both hands free and you can't guarantee that the explosion of adrenaline in your system won't mess up your fine motor skills and clarity of thought.

The KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Your average concealed-carrying person will do so in the same fashion as other people that carry guns for self-defense: loaded and ready while being safe from negligent discharges.

Here's a broad overview of handguns and how they operate.

One of the most widespread of the former is the many variations on the Colt 1911 pattern. This is a semi-automatic pistol with a "single action" operating system; the trigger can only release a cocked hammer to fire the gun. The trigger cannot cock the gun if the hammer is down. As such, this type is commonly carried "cocked and locked"; an ergonomically-correct safety is mounted on the side of the pistol and is switched to "on" after the gun's magazine is inserted and the slide is cycled by hand. Moving the slide cocks the hammer and loaded a round in the barrel. With the safety on, the firing mechanism is frozen. When the gun is drawn, as part of the drawing process the thumb is used to disable the safety. Note: nearly all 1911 pistols also have a "grip safety", a spring-loaded bar that protrudes from the rear of the grip. When not depressed, the grip safety also disables the firing mechanism. The grip safety is naturally disabled by gripping the pistol, while the manual safety requires a deliberate action to disable. Other companies make single-action semiautomatics that work in a similar fashion.

Many semi-automatic pistols are "traditional double action" guns. They are like single-action guns except that the trigger has the ability to draw back an uncocked hammer if needed. The first shot of this type of gun can be either from the uncocked position (with a long, heavy trigger pull) or the user can manually cock the hammer (short, light trigger pull). After the first shot, the gun re-loads and re-cocks itself like a single-action pistol. Note that there are some models that can be carried cocked-and-locked. Because the double-action trigger pull is much longer and heavier than a single-action trigger these guns may not have a manual safety (replaced by a decocking lever), or people carrying them may not use the manual safety if the gun is carried uncocked.

Some semi-automatic pistols are "double action only" guns. There is no provision for the hammer to be cocked so every shot is a longer, heavier pull than a single-action gun. These guns usually do not have a manual safety.

Many semi-automatic pistols are "striker-fired" pistols; the Glock is the most common example of this. When the user inserts a magazine and cycles the slide, a round is loaded into the barrel and the firing system is partially cocked. There usually is no external hammer or safety to manipulate; instead there is a safety lever built into the face of the trigger. The firing mechanism has a block to keep the striker from setting off a cartridge, and only moving the trigger can move the block. The safety lever on the trigger prevents the trigger (and thus the striker block) from moving. The act of putting your finger on the trigger deactivates the safety, and pulling the trigger finishes cocking the striker, moves the striker block, then releases the striker to fire a round. Taking your hand off the trigger activates the safety. Some striker-fired pistols also have a grip safety; I have one like that. These guns usually do not have a manual safety.

Single-action revolvers are what you commonly see in cowboy movies; you have to cock it each time you fire, and because they are not semi-automatic the user must manually cock it before each shot. Because single-action revolvers were phased out for concealed-carry and duty carry by the double-action revolver (and later the semi-automatic pistol) those that are sold tend to be full-sized and chambered for powerful cartridges. If you're carrying one of these, then either it's a modern version with modern safety features and you're carrying hammer-down on a full cylinder, or you're carrying a faithful replica of an original, which means you're carrying hammer-down on an empty chamber in the cylinder. These do not have manual safeties.

Double-action revolvers have the ability to cock the hammer with a trigger pull. Most double-action revolvers have an external hammer so you can manually cock the gun if desired, and some are double-action-only, which can only be cocked by pulling the trigger. Both of these kinds are commonly carried for self-defense because they can be fired faster and require less manipulation of the gun. They can also be reloaded faster than single-action revolvers. These do not have manual safeties.