Let There Be Light
Do you have a good quality flashlight? Do you carry it with you? ANYTIME I leave home carrying a firearm on my person, you can bet I have two other things with me…extra ammo (magazines) and a flashlight. Indoors can be dark anytime of the day, and you need to be prepared.
It’s a really bad feeling when you step out of the bright sunlight into a dark structure and have no source of illumination. You are quite literally blind which can leave you stationary and exposed to a threat.
Light is important for: Navigation, Communication, Target Identification, Target Acquisition, Concealment (low light tactics)…and can even be used to help overwhelm a threat’s senses. Be a professional and carry a good quality flashlight!
Check out www.surefire.com,www.blackhawk.com, and www.streamlight.com for examples of professional flashlights.
Where do you suggest carrying it? If in the car, where? On oneself, where? What do you consider a practical “good quality” flashlight?
TMEllender, as a rule of thumb, anything that is important for your safety needs to be carried on your person. While working in plainclothes, I always have a flashlight on a holder on my belt. Since I usually carry concealed, my clothing is designed to hide my weapon, extra magazines and flashlight. There are many flashlights out there that will meet your needs, but you will want one that is practical for you. Choose the brightest light for the size you are comfortable carrying. Choose battery usage based on predicted use and availability of batteries or accessibility to a charger. There are some very small, bright lights made by the companies listed on the post (all of the products by these companies are top notch). Last thing, they are not cheap. I don’t mind having several cheaper lights (as back-ups) to throw in a drawer, trunk of my vehicle, etc. But a light carried for personal defense is not cheap. They are smaller, brighter, more durable and designed to perform under harsh conditions. Most hostile situations happen so quickly, we will only have time to access what is already in our hands or on our person. It is very common for people to keep weapons and equipment in the trunk of their car…not a bad idea for storage…but for fighting, statistics show that you will never make it to your gear. Last point…lights are important. While serving high risk warrants…even during the day, I always had two handheld flashlights and a light mounted on my handgun and carbine at all times. That is how it important it is to have one that works when you need it. Stay safe and thank you for your question! Stay cool in LA!