Weapon mounted lights and felony aggravated assault.

The "threat" in your home may well prove to be benign...

But, if it's an unauthorized "visitor" in your home, my contention is that you have every right to hold them at gunpoint until you ascertain that they are: 1. Not a threat, and 2. Establish their legitimacy for being there.

Until they do that, they ARE a threat. Plain and simple.

If it is stated in the article as described, then I have no clue where M.A. is coming from because his reasoning doesn't seem to make sense.
 
The debate about whether or not pointing a weapon with a WML at a person is an "assault" will depend on what the holder of the weapon thought at that moment in time, period.

Walking down the street, drawing your weapon and pointing it at someone without justification is an assault.

I hear a bump in the night and point my weapon at a person in my home, that is not an assault. Even if it is found that the person is not a threat, at the time I pointed my weapon I had reason to believe the person was a threat. End of story.
 
I have no clue where M.A. is coming from because his reasoning doesn't seem to make sense
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As I said before, it makes no sense. Unless he was referring to a scenario such as this.....

Maybe, but I treat them the same.
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Pointing a gun with a WML in the face of someone outside, at your door, may very well be considered an assault, especially if it's a cop knockin'.
 
What's wrong with just turning on the room lights?
No need to point guns at anybody then.
Or give away one's position with a flashlight.
 
Because I have to walk into my living room and kitchen to turn on the lights. Sure I could rewire my house to have two way switches forvevery entrance to every room, but a light is easier, and there isn't anything wrong with it.
 
If the light is mounted on a weapon, then anything I cover with the light is being covered by the muzzle. In short, if I'm pointing the light at someone, I'm pointing the gun at someone. Without justification, that can constitute assault.
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My light isn't a laser and so I can light up a lot of area without pointing the weapon at a given object or person. As noted for "low ready," I can light up an entire room at low ready.
 
I was actually having a discussion on this topic yesterday with a co-worker. He recently got some training and was told that it is better to have a handheld flashlight when wielding an handgun, rather than having it attached to the weapon.

The reasons explained to him, which he related to me, were in line with what was discussed thus far. He was told that having the light on the gun means that where ever you are shining that light, is also covered by your muzzle.

This could lead to a firing your weapon in a knee jerk reaction. Now, a lot of people will claim they are highly trained.. but you just don't know until you are in that situation. Your adrenalin is most likely soaring, you might have just woken up from a deep sleep.. everything is happening very quickly. You eyes are adjusting from the dark shadows to the bright light of your weapon mounted flash. You turn the corner and see an intruder.. you fire... But wait.. was that an intruder or a family member. To late.

He was told that first and foremost, the best thing to do is hunker down and call the authorities. If you absolutely must move, then have your flashlight in you off hand, raised high and out from your body and have you firearm tucked closer, and lower, to your body. You lead with the flash light. If an intruder comes at you out of the dark, they will meet your flashlight wielding arm first, giving you room to manipulate your weapon in your other hand. Having the flash light in the other hand allows you to scan the area without covering everything with your firearm.

This is what he was told, then told me. I don't claim to be an expert, just relating what we discussed.

I will say this though. I am a fairly good shot. I go shooting all the time. I read all the discussions on tactics and "what would you do/what should you do". Although I never had professional and ongoing training, I was fairly confident that I would be cool and collected if a situation should ever arise. I, in my mind, thought I was prepared.

Well, last week, I was sound asleep.. that really deep "I'm drooling on the pillow" sleep.. and the house alarm went off. I'm in the master bedroom on the second floor.. my three children's bedrooms are also on the second floor. My nightstand safe with my .357 is within reach of my bed. What do I do? Slingshot out of bed and bull-rush down the stairs to see whats going on , still half asleep. I took the steps three at a time and only realized I didn't even grab my gun when I got to the first floor. This happened in seconds.. my wife didn't even sit up in bed yet and I was out the door like a mad man. Yeah... that was a big eye opener for me and shattered any false sense of being calm and cool when the shoe drops.

The alarm turned out to be a faulty window switch. Only reason I related that embarrassing and truthful story is to bring to the forefront that.. you just never know.
 
There's really no substitute for training.
As the saying goes, without it you don't know what you don't know.
Home defense, especially with family present, is serious business.
And no amount of shooting experience will prepare for it.
Shooting well is one skill, surviving a potentially deadly encounter is a whole 'nuther one.
 
What's wrong with just turning on the room lights?
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I send my 4 year old GWP after bumps in the night. She is trained to go search the house when told. If there is a knock on the door she does not have to be told. While she is a gentle as a kitten, she will bark at strangers and looks impressive. She'll let me know if I need to turn on the lights. If she comes back and lays down at the foot of the bed, it was just that.....an innocent bump in the night.
 
Weapon mounted lights are a double edged sword. It's very easy to use it as a flashlight, which it certainly is not.

When they first got popular, we really had to get on officers to remember they are not flashlights. You search with a flashlight, you identify a target with a weapon mounted light.

There are times when it's use is appropriate. Actively searching for a potentially armed suspect, hard entries etc. But, searching a warehouse on a burglar alarm is not the place to use the WML as a flashlight.
 
if the person you are targeting is armed

Then they would be justified in shooting you(?)
Supposing a cop is on your property in midst of pursuing a fleeing felon.

I'm not a fan of weapon mounted lights. Laser's I'm okay with.
 
The reason I have a laser/light on my main HD gun (at the moment, an HK45 full of +p hollowpoints) is so I can see and verify a target in the event of a nightime encounter, not so I can use it as a flashlight to look around the house in search of the source of a bump in the night, and absolutely not so I can look around outside where the castle doctrine doesn't apply and I would be actively hunting, not defending. Training is always a good thing, but I can't see how this action is more difficult than simultaneously pointing a flashlight and a gun at the same target using two hands. It's possible to overthink such things.
 
Here is another thing to consider, no matter how YOU use the light on a pistol, if there is a shooting where it becomes an issue, it won't matter HOW (you say) you used the light, what will matter is how the jury THINKS you used it.

They are not going to easily get past the idea that when you point the light, you ARE POINTING A LOADED GUN.

Count on any prosecutor hammering on that.

Also remember that you cannot shoot someone in self defense, accidentally.
 
When I said:
Maybe, but I treat them the same.
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It seem the previous concealed part wasn't picked up. In the house, outside or a knock at the door, I always have a weapon on me. It is always concealed and wouldn't be removed from concealment (drawn) unless I perceive that there is a real threat.

However, something like a window breaking late at night is perceived to be a real threat until identified otherwise.
 
Here is another thing to consider, no matter how YOU use the light on a pistol, if there is a shooting where it becomes an issue, it won't matter HOW (you say) you used the light, what will matter is how the jury THINKS you used it.
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Assuming it ever gets to a jury, right, facts and truth aren't all that terribly relevant, regardless of whether the light is weapon mounted or not. That goes for every other issue surrounding the case as well.
 
if its that dark in YOUR house than the BG sure as heck cant see anything either, right???

The BG will need to have a light source of some sort and therefore give away his position while leaving you concealed :cool:
 
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