The discussion always comes around, probably because there is never actually a "Correct" answer for everybody, everyone has different situations and different rules.
For example:
Military: Generally if you need to be carrying, you are in a hostile area and have specific rules of engagement depending on your mission.
Chances are, you know where you are and what the threat might be and are setup for it.
Police: Carry in well placed holsters easy to get to, but rather secure from malfunction. Also pretty much no consequences if you pull out your gun and hold it or point it at someone.
Good chance you are going looking for the trouble and will pull your gun if there is any indication of trouble possibly coming or being around.
Civilians: Usually carried concealed, harder to get to, easier to have an accident. Also usually BIG trouble if you pull it, or show it or point it unless you can say you were about to be killed / maimed.
Most likely you won't be pulling your gun till you are actually under attack or the threat is right on you.
Another issue to look at, is in the Civilian world, you may carry all your life and probably never need to actually use your gun to defend yourself, and maybe only have your hand on your gun in readiness a couple times in your life. But an accidental round going off can really ruin things for you.
Another issue is that specifically in the Civilian world, you probably won't know you are under attack and probably aren't even legally allowed to draw your weapon till an attack is actually under way, since most criminals don't come up and say "I'm going to attack you.. get ready". You may be on your back having your head pounded into the pavement before you get your gun out if you are unlucky. Especially in urban areas where people move close by, you may not see the attack coming till it's happening. In that case, you may not have two hands free to cycle your weapon, you may barely be able to get one half broken hand to pull the gun out to try to save your life. Someone kicks in the door, you literally have a second or two in which to respond.
In my case what works for me most of the time is carrying either a fully loaded compact revolver, or carrying a DA/SA pistol, chambered, but decocked and on safety.
Most of the time however when out and about, a .357 revolver is what I carry, with a backup semi auto & rifle nearby. If things go down and I can't get the threat ended with 5 shots of .357 magnum, I'll probably attempt to find cover, reload and try to get back to my primary weapons.
While they are not as well thought of these days in the civilian carry world, I still find a good revolver to be a great balance for every day leave it in your pocket and forget about it, and still have a minimum of decent stopping power.
I think pretty much the answer comes down to each individual needing to stop and really think about the overall picture of their life, their day to day activities and the most realistic threats they will come across and then the far out possibilities. Then practice and decide what works best for their individual situation.
I do however lean towards the side that if you are carrying without a round in the chamber, there is a good chance some criminal might be prying the still unchambered gun from your cold dead / unconscious hands.
