weapons light on handguns?

How is that safe?
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Its as safe as it gets from my stand point, especially if it warrants me having a gun and my safety is an issue. In that case, I want all the advantages and edges I can possibly have.

I think whats going on here is, you have people who are worried about breaking a range rule vs people who have reasonably weighed the givens, have taken on additional training, and accept that range rules are not always the best thing to follow, especially when not on the range. If your worried about pointing a gun at someone, light or otherwise, you need to find another tool or figure something else out.

When used properly, the weapons mounted light is no more dangerous (its actually less dangerous for you) than any other light.
 
As stated before, you don't have to point a flashlight directly at something to illuminate it. Walk through your house tonight with all the lights off. Hold a flashlight in the center of your chest, pointing approx. 45 degrees at the ground. Bump the switch or otherwise turn it on. You will be able to see clearly enough to identify all kinds of stuff.

Now imagine it is a weapons light. It is already close to the number three position where your weapon is in tight for better retention.

And in an instant when you decide you need the light, you can go from illuminating an unknown area with ambient light and clearing it safely to pointing your weapon at a threat.

Once again, take a class and/or listen to people who have.
 
Only light mounted gun I have is my bedside weapon.

No kids at home.

Wife is by my side.

Any bump in the night is a legitimate target as far as I'm concerned, so search sweeping with the light in my own home is A-OK with me.

If you can see a problem with that, let me know what it is.:confused:
 
"you don't wave the light/weapon around willy-nilly. It is always pointed in a safe direction until engaging a threat."

But isn't the purpose of the light to find a threat in the first place? How does one keep the light in a safe direction when its purpose is the sweep an area looking for a threat? Can you assume that anyone or anything in the light beam is a threat and open fire?

There might be arguments for a weapon mounted light, but it seems to me more of a "mall ninja" thing than any realistic need. Worse, if the weapon is held in front of the face, as shown in gunzine ads, and the BG shoots at the light, some really nasty things just might happen to the face behind the light. Remember, the light might not let you see the BG, but it will ALWAYS let him see you.

There is also the theory that a hand light can be so bright as to blind anyone in the area, even if it is aimed at 90 degrees from them. OK, try that. See if you can find a large area (e.g., a warehouse), turn out all the lights at night and see just how effective your super-dooper blinding light really is.

I have had some training too, and the consensus was that the best things a person can do if searching a building in the dark are 1) call for backup, and plenty of it, and 2) simply turn on the lights. The lights will be no surprise to you, but will be to anyone who shouldn't be there.

Jim
 
Jim, did you even bother to read my post? Maybe people have seen too many Scooby-Doo episodes where people whip around a flashlight at every opportunity. As far as the nonsense about getting shot in the face when your flashlight is on, well, whatever.

Many years ago, the FBI used to teach a technique where you held the flashlight away from your body at arms length. Do you think they still teach it? Now the flavor of the day is the Chapman or Harries stance. These are both fine but the WML is inherently more stable because you are maintaining a solid grip on your weapon.

Depending on how your home is set up, of course you can safely turn on the lights if need be. That should be pretty clear.

I am equally comfortable with or without a WML. Hell, use both if you want. They are nice to have but not a necessity. What I object to is nonsense advice being given to the poor guy asking about their pros and cons. Opinions are fine except when they are not based in fact.

If you don't like weapons mounted lights AND have actually used them AS INTENDED post that opinion, don't say stupid stuff about pointing your weapon at everything you look at with your flashlight.

My brain hurts. I am going to go play with my lego blocks.
 
I have been in Law Enforcement cumulativly over 40 years, am a Rangemaster/Firearms Instructor and personally feel the light should be seperate from the weapon even in LE situations. If you have to you can use your light as a club but there are people that were out there that got shot in the head when an officer used his gun as a club. Plus as said before your pointing a loaded gun at everything you light up even the accidental kid with a cap gun.
 
I have to respectfully disagree, I think IDing targets and lighting up a car you are emptying at gun point are two of the most useful LE applications. You just have to treat the WML like the weapon in that you don't use it to read VINs, clear buildings etc.
 
I have a Insight M6 laser/light combo on my "bedside" gun and can assure you it works great. And let me assure you the Insight M6 is more of VERY bright flood light rather than a spot light, you don't have to be holding directly on your target in order to light it up.
 
I'd recommend a lay person to not use a WML at all; leave it up to professionals who are better trained & more likely to need to shoot in the dark than you are. Using a WML as it's intended involves more risk than I could take and still call myself responsible.

If I had to use a light, I'd rather it be separate from my gun. It doesn't require me to buy another holster. It's a lot more useful as a tool on a day-to-day basis. Leaving my gun hand less supported by holding it separate is a cost I'd happily pay.

I agree with 44 Amp. I think the reason so many people are doing that is because he has voiced the common sense that most responsible shooters have.
 
A little clarification

My opinion comes from my point of view and personal situation. I'm an old fat lazy guy who lives out in the country. Am not, nor never was a LEO, and have not had specialised training. For those of you who are, or were, or have taken training based on that, please feel free to do as you see fit.

However, just remember that for every one of you, there are a few dozen of us, and a lot of "us" will go out and buy the equipment, believing that they know what they are doing and feeling confident in using it. Sadly, a percentage of these people are tragic accidents waiting to happen. And, even the best trained, competent individuals sometimes have accidents as well. That's why they are called accidents.

I will also admit to a certain degree of prejudice about weapon light, add on lasers, GPS, and secret decoder rings cluttering up my handguns. Quite possibly very useful for some people, in certain situations, but not for me, thanks.

For most of us, without formal training and the discipline to follow that training (at all times), I feel a weapon mounted light is a greater hazard than a benefit. However, if it is your business to track down threats in the dark, you probably will have a different opinion, and rightly so.
 
I tried using a light and decided against one because a.) it messed up my aim, b.) wrecked havoc on the guns function at times and c.) being in the dark unoticed WITH a gun is a very good advantage. Once your light pops on you are exposed even if you are behind cover.
 
What 44 AMP said- "I would prefer to not be right behind it."

I would think that the light is the first thing the bad guy will shoot at to reconceal himself in darkness plus,holding a gun/flashlight means you cannot quickly flip the flashlight around to check all dark areas independant of the gun.
 
WAGONMAN
To take people out of a car I would hope you had a car with Spotlight or takedown lights they provide much more light than the weapon light. JMO. Lets agree to disagree
 
Some decent points on both sides of the argument but let me try a different approach. If you don't want a WML don't get one, it certainly isn't the end of the world. If you do want one, get training and practice.

At some point we have all had to learn new skills. We all had to learn to handle a gun, we all had to learn to handle several different guns, calibers, shooting styles, etc. It takes practice. Being good at anything does. Tactics and techniques change and evolve. The use of a flashlight with weapons is a perfect example. In the past 15 or 16 years I have seen tons of changes. For example, most people used to have big ol' maglights. There are much less common and now we see millions of surefires, etc.

In Armsmaster's time on the beat, those were probably state of the art and evidently served as an impact weapon. If you smite someone in the noggin with one now you might as well shoot them because hitting someone in the head with a maglight, asp, baton, etc. is considered a deadly force assault in every place I have worked.

You all had to learn (or should have learned) to use a flashlight when you shoot. Now people MIGHT need to learn to use a WML. They are not any more mysterious or scary or dangerous then any other technique you have had to master. Please, please, please just don't assume or suggest to other less experienced shooters you go around lazing everything with the muzzle of your weapon because there is a light on the end. WML's can be awesomely effective if used correctly. They can be awesomely dangerous if not, just like every other thing gun related.

By all means, DO NOT rush out and buy a pistol with a rail just because it is the cool thing to do or in style. If you want one, get one but make sure you TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN. It is absolutely no different than any other newer tactic whether it be switching from revolver to autoloader or any other advance or deviation from what was state of the art in times past.

I have soap-boxed enough.

Also, Armsmaster, no disrespect intended. Thank you for your many years of service.
 
You can never have too much light.

Just last weekend we emptyed a hooptie with 4 heads in it and I painted everyone in LED love.
 
I have a light but seldom mount it. Mostly due to the holster issue.

A nice small metal flashlight is handier (IMO) because it doubles as an impact weapon should the handgun not be the correct option.
 
My light is mounted on my Benelli! But you can bet my Sig 220 In my holster has one too. Before the light was mounted on my guns, the bump in the night almost led to the demise of my Father-in Laws ex wife (no big loss) as she decided to walk into her old place un annouced!
 
If the situation is such that I've drawn a loaded firearm to search my house, then I'm not thinking "safe", I'm thinking SURVIVAL. I'll take the flashlight attachment. I'll take alive and dealing with the legal system over dead.
 
It's metioned from time to time that if the enemy is within range so are you. It's also recogised by those who have used tracers, lazers and lights that they also point back to you. Might be some good info in that...?

We all pays our money, takes our choices and the suffers the problems that go along with them. Those gadgets aren't for me, I prefer to be obscure.
 
i have to agree with CZ!

my whole idea for the WML is for carrying when i'm outside on my land or in the area where my hunting camp is or in my house. so if i'm in a low light situation and i need both hands on my pistol.

thank you ALL for your insight..........................
 
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