Tactical Flashlights

So why do we need a flashlight if we are carrying concealed? First of all, the FBI reports that more than 80% of all officer involved shootings happen in low light and civilian shootings are probably not much different. The reasons for carrying a flashlight for the typical CPL holder are to locate and identify threats, to aid in movement, and to disorient attackers.

There are many different flashlights available and I’ll review some of my favorites in future posts. My criteria for selection is that they be durable, fairly small, have good battery life and powerful. I prefer a minimum of 60 lumens but would really rather have 100 lumens. The units with a strobe mode are great for disorienting subjects.

There are many weapons mounted lights available but I prefer a separate flashlight. One reason is that there are many times I want to use a light but don’t really want to point my gun at what I want to see. The second reason is that under extreme pressure you may get your switches and triggers mixed up. We call this in the firearms training world “a bad thing”.

If you do carry a flashlight you will need to practice the various flashlight/gun techniques and become proficient at shooting one handed.