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Old 10-05-2014, 01:01 PM
Murdock Murdock is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Down East Maine
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A light is far more important than night sights. Night sights cannot assist with threat identification. If you can't identify the nature of the threat, you should not shoot.

A railed pistol with a properly fitted light is hard to beat, and such a pistol (or carbine) works very well in a role like home or camp defense. Carrying a defensive sidearm with a light mounted is a bit cumbersome for routine concealed carry, although some seem to do this quite well.

Clint Smith wrote not long ago about how much better his many students perform with a weapon-mounted light compared to a hand held light. This was my experience at Thunder Ranch after using both hand-held and weapon mounted lights in the Terminator, with both pistol and AR15. So if you can manage a weapon mounted light in regular carry, you do so with my respect.

It is a truism that most defensive shooting takes place in conditions of low light. Learning how to use a tactical light -- hand held or weapon mounted -- is not something to be learned in a gunfight. Use of a light must be part of regular training. I suspect that many of those who reject the use of tactical lights out of hand have had no training in their use.

Personally I find that using a light mounted on my pistol for routine carry is difficult to manage. Instead in parking lots at night I have my flashlight in my support hand, usually while still in my pocket, and my pistol remains holstered.

The light can be used to find my dropped keys, avoid stepping in yucky stuff, and shining into the eyes of someone approaching me unexpectedly. If it's an innocent person, no harm done, and I can apologize. If it proves to be a threat, I have probably temporarily robbed them of some night vision and bought yourself time and distance.

And even in non-gun-friendly environments (I live in a free state but currently find myself working a contract in Massachusetts) the light can be used as a contact weapon (even without the slightly silly sharpened edges some have).
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