Low Light Concerns – Normal Human Beings
Before I get into the meat of this topic, let me do a quick intro –
Jacob asked me to begin doing a monthly column here. Like a lot of guys teaching in this space, my background includes time in the military – Army, from the Cold War to the GWOT – and a 29-year career as a cop. I spent enough time in the academic world to earn a master’s from Norwich University. Sandwiched in there is a teaching stint at Gunsite that started in 2000 and continues to this day. I have taught at Rangemaster’s TacCon, Guardian Conference, and A Girl & A Gun’s national conference.
Back on topic – low light concerns and decent, normal human beings (note: rather than getting into fights over citizen, civilian, etc., I use the preceding phrase). While the tools and the manipulations are often the same for everyone in the low light environment, the why and when change a lot for normal humans.
In the cop world, we would go out trying to find the BadGuys at night. That meant we were looking into, under, around, and behind dark holes to find them. When we encountered them, we needed to see what was in their hands, or what those hands had access to. Were they with someone else and when they tried to flee, which way would they go. Is that a gun or a wallet in their hands (Aveni)? Could it be a cell phone (Taylor)?
Low Light Training At The Guardian Conference
Repeatedly, I see a figure indicating about 70% of law enforcement shootings over in low light. That’s interesting for two reasons – only half of every 24 hours is in low light and most of the training takes place in normal or daytime lighting conditions.
Have you gotten any low-light training? At the Guardian Conference, multiple low-light sessions have been available.
But, Erick, what about those of us who aren’t looking in dark places for BadGuys?
Let me use data from two long-time trainers and researchers in this field – Tom Givens (Rangemaster Firearms Training Services) and Claude Werner (The Tactical Professor).
Tom, having taught in the Memphis area for several decades, has had a significant number of his students involved in violent encounters. Many of them, 68 of 71, prevailed. Of those how many needed a weapon-mounted light? What about a handheld light?
Well?
Come on, how many? I’ll wait a bit longer.
Meanwhile, turning our attention to Mr. Werner. A lot of his research is focused on events with negative outcomes. Specifically, that means people who got shot who did not need to be shot.
You are at home. It’s dark outside, and consequently, it’s dark inside, too. You hear a loud noise, that proverbial CrashBoomBang. What do you grab first? Your firearm? Your firearm with a light on it? Or a handheld light? Kick that around for a couple of seconds.
Regarding Givens’ students, none of them needed a light of any kind. Not one. Why? Nearly all these events were robberies. If there is enough light for the robber to decide you’re the victim, there’s enough light for you to identify the robber as the BadGuy. Think about the places where robberies generally happen at night. How much light is there?
Now, back to Claude. Based on his research into mistake of fact or identification shootings by decent, normal humans, he is adamant about grabbing the handheld light. His research and documentation indicate that over 97% of those bumps in the night aren’t the follow home, home invasion robbery crew. Instead, it’s your child or another resident of the house, an intoxicated or otherwise altered neighbor, or a developmentally disabled subject from a few blocks away.
That does not mean deadly force will not be needed; you need to make an effort to identify the person before you escalate.
In the meantime, what do you need? You need a good flashlight, one that you will carry with you. One that will illuminate a room, down a hallway or stairwell. On you or, at worst, readily available is the key.
Ladies, I get that carrying the Eye&FaceMelter5000 doesn’t mesh with your daily feminine attire. There are options. Consider Surefire Stiletto Pro or Streamlight’s Wedge.
Guys, those would be viable for you, too. So would a single-cell light from any of the reputable companies mentioned—Modlite and Cloud Defense.
Additional Resources:
Good to see you here Erick!
Thanks Rob!
The only reason I didn’t carry my Face&EyeMelter5000 is that it’s too large to fit on my belt! Instead I make sure with a decent pocket light on my person, and another on my night stand that I prefer the form factor on. The FEM5K is reserved more for long distance searches of the pasture. That’s what it is suited for.
The Real Person!
This comports with what John Correia of ASP has been saying. And ever since hearing it, I haven’t felt the need to have a light on my carry pistol. If I’m going to be away from home in the evening, I carry a hand-held with a balance between size and lumens/candela. I also have a larger hand-held light and WMLs ready where I sleep, but I also have IR/night vision cameras indoors that can show me what’s going on in my completely dark house.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Doesn’t a handheld or gun mounted light give away your position?
Chuck I’m no expert on the topic but I think this is where training comes in. I think yes for sure a light can give away your position and that is why getting trained on the proper use of a light goes a long way to minimizing that risk.
1st, thanks for reading and commenting,
A light can identify where you are. There are ways to mitigate that. Using cover also minimizes that concern.
The bigger issue for me is ensuring that I can positively identify who I am dealing with. Is it a family member, neighbor, friend, or someone who is supposed to be there? Or is it an unknown, someone who has no business being there and may require a more direct, elevated response?