Why I Changed my Mind on Weapon Lights
I think an important trait for any trainer is to continue to grow their knowledge, learn new things, and admit where their views have changed. Sometimes, those changes are updates or tweaks to previous views, other times it is admitting a previous view was wrong. In the interest of that sort of growth, I want to share an area where I changed my views: weapon lights.
Previously, I didn’t carry lights on my carry handguns or home defense setup. My mindset was that in a home defense situation, I’d illuminate as much as possible by just turning on the lights, and since I’m not planning on 1 man room clearing any time soon, weapon mounted lights weren’t necessary. Likewise, living in the suburbs, I don’t encounter areas where lighting is an issue. Ultimately, I wasn’t against weapon lights, I just saw them as unnecessary, especially on a carry gun.
What Changed my Mind?
So what changed? A few things. First, as I looked at people I respect and saw how they have their guns setup and why they have their guns setup that way, I realized that having a light on a home defense gun is a must. IDing targets in potential low light situations, even if you can flip on some of your home lighting, can be the difference between making a shot or not (and likewise, between a good shoot or a tragedy). The more I looked around my house, the more I realized that I have spots where I can’t easily reach lighting for a given area or would need supplemental illumination. What seemed completely unnecessary seemed like a no-brainer once I thought about actual situations that I could find myself in, especially in a home defense situation.
Putting weapon lights on carry guns was a bit more complicated. As I continued to look at my use cases, I ultimately came to the conclusion that while there were very few scenarios I could see needed a weapon light on a carry gun, I generally try to be prepared and the benefits outweighed any slight cons (weight, cost, new holsters, etc…). Putting a weapon light on my carry gun also gave me the opportunity to try out some new holsters I wouldn’t have otherwise tried. Ultimately, it lead me to a new every day holster, despite really liking the one I had. On the price side, I decided to go with a Streamlight TLR-7 A for it’s reliability, relatively low cost, and switch placement.
So I Just Threw Lights on My Guns, Right?
One thing that was really important to me was ensuring that I didn’t just throw some new gear on my firearms and call it a day. Training with weapon mounted lights is essential to actually being proficient with them. Putting a light on your gun, and never training with it, is a great way to ensure that you won’t be able to actually use it when you need to. Whether it’s as simple as dry firing in the dark and using it (safely) around your house, or actually taking a low-light class where you can train shooting an movement in a low-light scenario, it’s important to get comfortable with your light, understand how it may impact your grip, and practice activating it when you need it, and leaving it off when you don’t. It’s also worth noting that a weapon light doesn’t replace the need for a good handheld light.
While gear can be an important part of your self-defense setup, training with your tools will always be the most important factor to your success.
Any gear mentioned in this post was purchased for my personal use. I have not been compensated or incentivized by any company for any product reviews, highlights, or opinions.
Upcoming Live Fire Classes
Defensive Pistol Fundamentals – 1
Saturday, January 27th – 9am to 1pm
This class is a live fire training opportunity to work on defensive pistol skills. This first class will focus on fundamentals, including grip, site picture, and draw.
Intermediate Defensive Pistol – 2
Saturday, February 24th – 9am to 1pm
This intermediate defensive pistol class will focus on taking the next step in your firearms proficiency with items like target transitions, reactive targets, and reload drills.
Next Level Defensive Pistol – 3
Saturday, March 30th – 9am to 1pm
This next level defensive pistol class is an advanced class for practicing shooting and moving, transitions, and reactive targets.
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