I have no problem whatsoever carrying with a round chambered and safety on, for all the reasons mentioned. My concern is purely mechanical in nature. I don't want to damage the firing pin spring by leaving it continuously cocked. I have a Shield that is striker fired so there is no hammer to de-cock while the round is chambered, meaning the spring is always compressed. I talked to S&W customer support about this and they said that over time, it would damage the spring. So, what to do? Jury is still out for me.