Weapon mounted light or not... something I never see being discussed...

Just because you have a light on the gun doesn’t mean it is has to be used prior to employing the firearm.
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It does if you haven't identified your target.

As far as pointing your gun and the light mounted, the light does spill. So that is really a non argument. You don't need to point the gun at the target to use the light.

Personally I do not like a light on my gun, I think they are too big and bulky. There are advantages and disadvantages to having them just like anything else. Whatever you choose just practice. My house is so lit up I don't even need a flashlight. My flashlight is only needed for times when the power is out, so we are already talking rare instances. Spending the time training with a light on my gun+the cost isnt worth the chance of me ever needing it vs a flashlight.
 
Do a search on Mas Ayoob's videos...he has some interesting points to make on weapon mounted lights. Personally, I have a light mounted on my bedside gun, and no, you don't need to point the gun directly at objects to see them...
 
During an EMP burst a handgun will be moot.
"...Weapon mounted lights are the norm..." Only for cops who tend to go into dark places for a living. Too bulky for anybody else. Lotta debate about how much of a target a flashlight in the dark makes you too.
And it's, "...you aren't willing to kill." You're not using a phaser set on kill.
 
I have no problems shooting anyone in the middle of the night without knowing who it is.
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This is a simple, complete declarative sentence. I do hope a prosecutor never gets to use it against you, in court.

As far as pointing your gun and the light mounted, the light does spill. So that is really a non argument. You don't need to point the gun at the target to use the light.
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I say it's still an argument. yes, the light does "spill" and you don't need to point the gun at the target to use the light, BUT people DO, and they WILL.

Even trained police officers sometimes make mistakes and fail to follow their training, what are the odds untrained people will NOT point the gun at you in order to use the light? I'd say slim to none, and Slim left town...:rolleyes:

I'm fine with the idea of weapon mounted lights FOR PROFESSIONAL USE. I am very much opposed to weapon mounted lights for untrained (and usually unpracticed) individuals.

The principle is fine, makes sense, can be useful, HOWEVER, in the real world, despite all the safety commands, and even despite some training, you ARE going to have people pointing loaded guns at people, just so they can see them, and some of those people ARE going to have their fingers on their triggers when they do it.

As to the suggestion of turning on the lights as you move through your house, I can see where it could put you at a tactical disadvantage. IF you are in combat. But is the objective to ambush the intruder?? Or is the main objective to drive them away??

Holding the cowardly craven pinned in the icy glare of your weapon mounted light, covered at gunpoint until the police arrive to take them away COULD happen, has happened I would think, but its more likely fantasy than reality.

And the downside is that it could initiate a series of events that otherwise would not have happened.

You, and your family, and your stuff is just as safe if the intruder(s) FLEE. Turning on lights might well result in that, all by itself.

EMP keeping you from turning on the lights? I'd put that pretty far down my worry list. Bad guy(s) cut the power?? possible, but then everybody is in the dark, and unless this is an action movie where the bad guys use night vision, then they're in the dark as much as you are, and will need lights to see, in order to do what they came for, and that ought to make them a little easier to spot...

Me, I use the "hoarder's defense", my house is so cluttered with a lifetime's worth of crap that my heirs will probably find the mummified remains of a home intruder under a collapsed stack of Guns & Ammo, American Rifleman and Shooting Times when they clean out the property after my death....:rolleyes::D

hmm..now that I think on it, this might explain why some of our cats have gone missing over the years :eek:......oh well, there's no free lunch...:D

I don't have any weapon mounted lights, in fact, I'm such a dinosaur I don't even have any pistols with rails that would mount them. I just don't think they are a good idea for anyone not a trained professional who's job needs them.

Am not all that sure that they are a good idea for some of the people we consider "trained professionals", either....
 
The principle is fine, makes sense, can be useful, HOWEVER, in the real world, despite all the safety commands, and even despite some training, you ARE going to have people pointing loaded guns at people, just so they can see them, and some of those people ARE going to have their fingers on their triggers when they do it.
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While I think this is a fair point, I also think it applies to using a handheld light and the pistol separately. It's not out of the realm of possibility for someone to hear a noise and turn both the light and the pistol simultaneously and end up in the situation you mentioned above. It may not be as direct as having the light attached to the pistol, but the possibility of muzzling a family member is still there and coupled with adrenaline and poor trigger finger discipline, the result is a bad one.

My point would be whether using a handheld or a weapon mounted light this is something you want to practice and train with if possible. And yes no amount of training is equivalent to a real threat, but you do the best you can within the limitations of time and money. Whether in the daylight or dark there are limitations to what all of us can practice and we could likely all be better in any number of areas.

For that matter consider whether searching your house is even needed. If your family is accounted for and you're not being engaged, there's nothing wrong with sitting tight and waiting for the cavalry. I have stuff in my house but none of it is worth dying or killing over, imo. Family is another matter.

As I said earlier there are advantages to both. And I'll repeat what I said earlier. It doesn't have to be either or. Search with the handheld, and if you find yourself engaged or only able to use one hand then use the weapon light.
 
adamBomb said:
It does if you haven't identified your target.
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No... it doesn’t.

SureFire%20P2X%20Fury%20Dual%20Output%20Flashlight_1.jpg


Listen, if you want to take the stance that you don’t want to point a firearm at something to illuminate it... then stand with it completely. If you hear a noise at night, with kids that could be sneaking in, I’m sorry... but a weapon light is not the way to scan an area. Your argument doesn’t hold water, because you are making it fill the role of a handheld flashlight and not a weapon light. The only way I’d say to use one in that role would be to dismount it from the firearm...

Personally, I try not to rely on one electronic device, since batteries do go dead. On home defense guns, I change batteries out on my birthday. Flashlights, I keep two nearby the bed; Surefire P2X and P3X. Batteries get changed when the high option isn’t working, since they default to 15 Lumens. Even with carry guns, I’ve been opting for weapon lights... but still have a flashlight on me. While it is a different role (carry verses home defense), the viewpoint I have is still the same. There is not a need to search with a weapon light. When you either have a threat or know it isn’t a friendly... you can make the decision whether to use the weapon light how some of you described (spill) or treat things as a threat. That is completely a case by case basis, as no scenario is going to be identical. However, to say that weapon lights cause you to point a firearm at something you do not wish to destroy... my response is you are doing it wrong.

For the original topic, yea... turning on lights might be beneficial. But personally, there aren’t a lot of situations where someone needs to clear their house. Make sure loved ones are safe, and call the police. Let yourself be known, and if someone comes towards you/your family, do what needs to be done. I don’t advocate pushing through the house unless you have a very good reason to do so. It is only stuff... if an intruder is looking to do you/your family harm, have him meet you on your terms (cover, possibly with the element of surprise). Don’t put yourself at their advantage or an equal fight (both bump into one another).
 
I'm fine with the idea of weapon mounted lights FOR PROFESSIONAL USE. I am very much opposed to weapon mounted lights for untrained (and usually unpracticed) individuals.
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Interesting. So you believe that people should not have certain items based upon how they may misuse them? Interesting indeed.
 
Interesting. So you believe that people should not have certain items based upon how they may misuse them? Interesting indeed.
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Absolutely.

"You don't give fire to a kitten!"

Ah, so only trained professionals should have certain items? I'll file that one away.
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File away!

Just be sure to note the difference between "shouldn't" and "can't".

Because there is one, and its a big one.
 
Andrewsky said:
He's got a point. Under extreme stress someone might pull the trigger when they really meant to activate the light.
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If you have a weapon light where the activation is the same motion as pressing the trigger, that's not a good weapon light. For me I use the offhand thumb to work the toggle and the motion involves me pushing down with that thumb, away from the trigger. As I said above I do think there are concerns with using weapon lights, but pressing triggers when not intended can happen with or without mounted lights and a bump in the night can cause a reaction with either that could be bad.


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"...only trained professionals should have certain items? "

THAT is the old argument for a total ban on possession of firearms by anyone except specially trained police officers. Care to rethink it?

Jim
 
Interesting arguments...

As some of you know I am not in the USA.... things work a little different here to say the least.

One time a guy broke into our business, it was 4:15 am. We managed to get the guy to a backyard and put a foot between him and us. We called the police 5 times before they arrived.... 2 hours later... one of the events that finally convinced I needed a gun.

There were 2 guys, one ran away...
 
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