In Condition 1 you have 2 safeties in play all the time (thumb safety and grip safety) and of course the most important safety of all, your finger. Keep it off the trigger till your sights are on the target. I've shot IPSC for years with a 1911, (as well as being around numerous other people shooting 1911's) and have yet to see an AD because of a safety. Pulling the trigger before they were ready yes, but not the safety. If you are scared of carrying a 1911 cocked and locked, then I would seriously choose one of the various pull, point, shoot type pistols, of course realizing that they will be cocked and locked also with a round in the chamber.
Why is it that some advocates of Condition 1 carry can�t realize that others can come to a well-reasoned and perfectly logical conclusion that Condition 1 is not right for them? It seems the argument always comes down to those other people must be �scared� of their gun.
Let me point out that even with multiple safeties, every unintentional discharge in the history of firearms have one thing in common � a loaded chamber. By contrast, an unintentional discharge is physically impossible when the chamber is empty.
For me the decision to carry in Condition 3 is not a result of being �scared� of my firearms but I do have a healthy respect for the damage they can do, just as I do tornados, drunken drivers, lightning and other dangers. As I do with those other dangers, mitigating the potential of an unwanted result is a reasonable endeavor � and the very reason you most likely don�t carry in Condition 0.
The �most important� safety you mention is also the one most likely to fail, as it relies on the human brain, and multiple firearm safeties have not eliminated the problem of unintentional discharges in Condition 0, 1 and 2. The possibility of an unintentional discharge is not just lower with Condition 3, it is zero.
The down side of Condition 3 is that it takes a second or so longer to make ready and generally requires two free hands. One upside for me is that regardless of which of my semi-autos I am carrying, the manual of arms is the same � no need to think about whether the safety goes up or down to fire, where a moment�s confusion or fumbling with a small safety could easily cost more time than racking the slide as the weapon is brought to bear.
If I was regularly engaging in activities where the probability of actually needing to draw my carry weapon was higher, I would probably go to Condition 2 or maybe even Condition 1 for my standard method of carry. The fact of the matter, though, is I try hard to stay alert to potential dangers and to avoid environments or situations where my weapon might be needed. The probability I will need my weapon is very low as a result but the possibility of an unintentional discharge is infinitely higher in Conditions 1 and 2.
We all make trade-offs in our carry decisions � whether it is the cartridge of choice, the type of holster, semi or revolver, DA or SA, and so on. Some of us practice with our carry weapons a lot, some very little. I�m somewhere in-between but I�ll probably never shoot my handguns as much as I do my rifles - partly because I expect to go to my grave never having needed to draw my carry weapon. My 9mm (DA/SA, safety up) stays in my car all the time, my .380 (DA/SA, safety up) tends to be in a pocket and when I carry my .45 (SA, safety down) it is usually in the small of my back in an IWB holster. Nothing prevents me from going from Condition 3 to Condition 0, 1 or 2 should the situation dictate but in normal situations I�m quite comfortable with my weapons in Condition 3.
