Chambering your Firearm and the Kidnapper in the Woods

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It was three in the morning and almost pitch black when I waited  for the war veteran to take me out to get to his target. I heard the noise coming closer and closer. I held my pump shotgun and waited.

Ashby Leach was a Vietnam war veteran and a disgruntled employee of The Chessie Railroad System. One morning in 1976, he went to the 36th floor of the Cleveland Terminal Tower building and burst into the companies offices. Leach was armed with a sawed‐off shotgun and a pistol. He quickly fired two shots, took 14 hostages and presented a list of demands. The national news media broadcasted those demands and nine-hours later, he released the hostages. Leach became sort of a national folk hero as many people liked his supposed fight against corporate big-brother and fair treatment for veterans. After his arrest and conviction he was released on bond while pending an appeal. This is when I came in.

I was a young cop at the time—very young. Leach had made public threats against Chessie Railroad executives, one of whom he had kept hostage during the incident and also against the president of the company. Well, both of the executives lived in the community where I was a cop at. For a long time, we gave them both 24-hour protection. I was one of the officers who protected both men, who happened to live on streets very close to each other. I’d work my regular patrol shifts and at night, guarded one of the two homes while parked in the driveway in an unmarked police car. Great extra money for a young cop.

While out of the slammer, Leach said something that made everyone’s ears stand at attention. The media quoted him as saying that he was tired of not having his demands met and he was going to do what they had taught him to do in the army. We assumed that meant to kill, and that now, he was going to try and kill the executives.

That night, we had a quick but extra briefing before our night guard shift started. Pretty much just be aware of what Leach said and that we’re on our own and . . . good luck. Well, I wasn’t going to sit in an unmarked but yet still easily identifiable police car while a man who fought in the jungles of Vietnam comes a crawling to kill the guy that I’m guarding. So, I decided to get out of the car in the driveway, grab my 12 gauge pump shotgun and sit in a patch of woods near the house and listen and observe from there.

At about 2:00 A.M., I stared hearing a noise and it was coming toward me. I rubbed my eyes to try and see a bit through areas of moonlight and I listened as intently as I could. I couldn’t see anything but the noise was there, coming right at me. I was in a crouched position and I lifted the shotgun towards the noise. There was a slight clearing in front of me and the noise was coming directly toward it.

Suddenly something broke through the woods as I racked the shotgun and pointed the barrel right in the face of a . . . raccoon! A raccoon! It stared at my barrel, I stared at him—then he bolted.

I breathed a sigh of stress relief and after a few seconds, took a look at my shotgun. I noticed that there was no shell in the barrel. When I chambered the shotgun, I was so psyched-up, so nervous and quick that I did something called short stroking. I didn’t chamber the pump far enough back and the bullet never got chambered into the barrel! If I would have pulled the trigger, nothing would have happened. If that would have been Leach with murderous intent, I’d have been toast. I screwed up, big-time.

I learned a big lesson that night. To always having a chambered round ready for immediate action when you’re carrying a semi-automatic handgun or a long-gun.  And if you’re carrying off duty as a cop or you’re a citizen carrying lawfully, you are always ready for action. That’s why your firearm is with you, for possible action, and we should have a round chambered.

Some people are afraid to carry a round in the barrel. If you’re one of them, get over it. Some are afraid that carrying this way, a bullet may accidentally discharge. They’re afraid that if they sit down and the gun gets rubbed on their holster, it may fire. Or that something may get stuck on the trigger, perhaps when getting in and out of a vehicle, and it will fire. Some fear that if they drop their firearm it may accidentally discharge. Most of these fears are over-worry.

All modern firearms have internal safeties that guard against firing when  dropped and if we carry holsters made specifically for the firearm we are carrying—ones that completely cover the trigger guard—we’ll be safe from anything getting caught on the trigger and pulling it to fire. Also, some fear about firearms that have external safeties that we engage ourselves saying that these external and even internal safeties are mechanical devices and can fail, rarely perhaps, but it can happen. While yes, this is true, the key to remember with firearms is that the way you carry and manipulate your firearm makes it safe or unsafe, regardless if there is an external or internal safety.

I drove police cruisers for over 20 years wearing holsters and chambered rounds hanging on my thigh. No holes in me. Respect that gun you’re carrying. It’s not a toy. It’s not a security blanket. Don’t drop it. Get a great holster meant for your particular gun. Practice regularly pulling it out of the holster making sure to not inadvertently squeeze the trigger before the muzzle clears your body. If you have any doubts, get competent training in how to carry and handle your firearm.

I simply do not believe that you should carry a firearm without having a round chambered. It is almost impossible to pull it out, chamber a round (successfully) and shoot an attacker. There have been numerous studies done on this fact and there are many videos on the internet showing people trying to chamber a round in deadly attacks and robberies—unsuccessfully.

I lived to tell my story of what trying to chamber a round when the shit hits the fan can do. I hope you learned something from my mistake and you become a consummate professional when you carry. Stay safe.

Steve Kovacs
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Steve Kovacs

About Steve Kovacs

Steve's the bestselling author of 'Protect Your Kids! The Simple Keys to Children's Safety and Survival'. He's written many articles on a wide variety of topics and has three published books. Steve's a three-time survivor of violence in his youth, a former police supervisor and a graduate of The Police Executive Leadership College (PELC) and was also an award winning part-time college Criminal Justice instructor. For several years, Steve did written and radio political and current event commentary and was the former host of the long running 'The Kovacs Perspective' Internet radio and TV talk show. Steve presently owns a small businesses in Ohio--The Mayfield Academy of Self-Defense.

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