A question about gun safety, rather than gun laws: [View all]

Each time I read a news story headlined "Toddler Finds Mom's Gun, Shoots (Mom / self / sister / baby)" or "One Injured When Dropped Gun Discharges at (Cracker Barrel / Target / wherever)", I'm struck by the same question:

Why do so many people who carry sidearms in public carry them with a round chambered?

When I owned a gun, I never stored it or carried it about with a round chambered. Wouldn't it be wiser to leave the rounds in the magazine until needed? (Or, in the case of a revolver, leave one empty chamber in the trigger position?

Is there a perceived advantage to carrying with a round chambered that I may be overlooking? Do owners expect that they may face situations that demand them to draw and shoot so quickly that even the split-second it takes to chamber a round, or advance the cylinder, will be more time than they can afford?

Is it as commonplace to carry with a chambered round as the headlines would make it seem, or do we just hear of those who do because, in these few cases, a tragedy has ensued?

Do the gun-safety classes required to secure a permit in many states address this question? If so, what do they have to say about it?


Thanks in advance to those who can offer insight on these questions.