An Israeli Soldier Shows Why ‘Israeli Carry’ Can Get You Killed

Plenty of people carry a handgun with an empty chamber. Sometimes called “Israeli carry,” it makes them feel better and removes their worry about their gun “going off.” There’s only one problem: carrying with an empty chamber, like other bad habits, can get you killed.

Sure, in a perfect world, depending on the situation, the good guy might have time to draw their gun, rack the slide, and bring their sights to bear on his attacker. The world isn’t perfect, however, and massive adrenaline dumps under pressure will cause fine motor skills to go right out the window. Just as it did in a video that captures an attack on an Israeli soldier last year.

Fortunately the good guy came out on top, but only because he was lucky and had help from a bystander. Watch the video below and note how many attempts and how long it took him to rack his slide . . .

Dude took about 30 minutes to rack that slide and literally tried to hand it to a civilian in the middle of all that shame… pic.twitter.com/ZIqshcyYOH

— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) March 14, 2024

I timed it at eight seconds. And that was after he’d gotten away from the attacker, stood up, and drew his gun. What would have happened if he hadn’t had help and needed to draw while rolling around on the ground with the attacker choking him from behind?

Criminal attacks almost always happen suddenly, without warning and on the attacker’s timeline. Not yours. If you’ve failed to recognize any pre-violence indicators and find yourself under attack, you have to react and respond quickly. Taking up valuable seconds to load a round in your defensive pistol can come at a very high price, up to and including your life.

Not only that, but if you’re trying to fight off an attacker, you very well may not have your off-hand available to rack your slide. And if you access your gun and try to load it, and the bad guy sees what you’re doing, you’ll invariably find yourself defending that pistol in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war.

Most of the time, if you ask people who carry with an empty chamber why they do so, they’ll answer with their feelings about how it’s safer or they’re just more comfortable that way. Running that through the universal translator, what they’re really saying that they aren’t confident in their ability to safely and effectively carry and handle their pistol.

The answer to that is more or better training and practice. However, for a lot of men in particular, a combination of pride and their platinum Man Card doesn’t allow for asking for help in learning how to use a gun.

Just like knowing how to swim or effectively throw a punch, using a gun safely and effectively requires some training. Sure, that training might come from a friend or relative. Better yet, it might involve a formal course taught by one or more competent instructors.  Regardless of where they get it (aside from social media or hip hop videos), good training will serve them well.

One valid use of “Israeli carry” I’ve seen in my time involved a relatively new father. He practiced a version of this when his son was much younger for the spare carry rig he carried in his pickup truck’s console. “Should Junior somehow find that gun, he wouldn’t have the hand strength to rack that slide to load the gun.” Indeed. A three- or four-year-old might find that gun, but racking a slide? That’s probably not going to happen for your average defensive pistol. That example, however, is definitely an exception.

Don’t create obstacles for yourself when carrying your gun. Get training, practice, then rinse, lather, and repeat until safely handling your EDC gun becomes second-nature. Carry your gun loaded and ready to go. Live your life prudently and safely. And always have a plan in case you notice things start to go sideways.