Tac-lights and house guns
 

I noticed that all of a sudden that all the shooting mags have multiple ads for new pistol models with tac-light rails. Seems that pretty soon we'll be able to mount a headlight on all our new autos and some revolvers. (Light sold seperately of course.) So basically, from my interpretation of the ads, the gun manufacters are telling citizens that we are better off by adopting this tactical gear for our homes.

I've used tac-lights on rifles and carbines, but not for the application you use in your own home for sure. And I played around on a range with a couple M9's and a USP that had the lights with integrated lasers. They were handy. And bright; surprisingly bright, like a motorcycle headlight if not more from than tiny bulb.

So anyway I got to thinking about the tac-lights (or Tac-Lite being most popular brand) on a house gun. The good and the bad. Here is what I came up with.

Bad:
1. I have five mag-lights (in the house and both vehicles), and total price is about equal to what some tac-lights cost.
2. Most people never master the handgun itself, now add another button/switch. (Keep it simple...)
3. Few people get training on their gun, after spending so much on the light I bet they don't bother signing up for that additional training either.
4. For those very familiar with their weapon, the balance change seems big on some combinations; may not have the same feel (natural hand-point) that made the gun get chosen.
5. In total darkness, an aggressor may believe your gun/light is sans gun....just a bright light. (Are ya gonna turn it so he can see if he don't believe you?)
6. You have to point the gun at whatever you are illuminating. There is no "muzzle down carry" or even "low ready" and muzzle-awareness is out the window. This could go very wrong. Middle of the night, heart thumping, head fuzzy, in a rush, loud sound behind you...better have finger off the trigger. See #2 and #3 for mastering weapon and training.

Good:
1. If for some ungodly reason I have to discard my flashlight, or if the flashlight becomes inop, and the power is out, I have a backup light. (It is fully possible to scoop up a child in your non-firing arm without tossing a flashlight, or even drag an adult 20 feet by the collar if the flashlight is not oversized, and still have your firing arm free to aquire an emerging threat.)

*Note: I didn't say car or travel gun for a reason. Being able to illuminate/cover a threat while having a free hand to get in/out, start/operate vehicle, etc might not be a bad idea simply because anything that keeps you stationary when you can drive away or hinders a swift flight from danger is a no-go. (It's better to avoid than stay and fight....) But that is a whole different world than in your house.

Just my thoughts on tac-lights and houseguns. I'm interested to hear what anyone else thinks.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Back in highschool, I took some police training in the Explorers program (decided police didn't get paid enough; so I'm an EE instead, hehe). Cops would show us the proper way to enter a house in a SWAT fashion, etc... how to conduct routine, and non-routine traffic stops. One of the things I won't forget is this; you were NEVER supposed to hold the gun in line with the flash light. They always instructed us to hold the gun in your hand of choice with one hand. Cross your flashlight-holding arm over the gun-carrying arm, and hold it as far to the opposite side of your body as possible. Applying some light pressure to the gun carrying arm with the flashlight holding arm gave some added stability for shooting as well. This way, if someone fires at your light, they don't hit you because the light is off to your side. Having a light in line with your gun, and therefore in line with your head if you're aiming, seems like a VERY STUPID thing to do... This is why I've never understood the concept of a tac-light that is mounted to the weapon... Then again, maybe there's something I'm missing.

The Explorer's program is run by the Boy Scouts of America and isn't exclusive to law enforcement; it includes all emergency/law enforcement agencies that want to participate from what I understood. Just in case you're wondering what I'm talking about...

:)

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

That is a very good point. A person walking through their house in the dark (for whatever reason) is pretty easy to jump. If they are waving that tac-light around, it gives an aggressor a perfect target and also makes the weapon very vulnerable to be snatched. However, if a flashlight is held in front and the weapon close at low ready, well you have a better chance of not getting disarmed/shot through the body. That being said, stalking through your house alone in the dark looking for intruders is a bad idea almost every time.

The tac-lighs we use on our rifles and carbines are mostly for after the shooting is over. Sounds odd maybe but up until the casualty searching and demo begins there are much safer ways of seeing at night. The only time we use them during dynamic entry/mout stuff is against each other in training. (Blind each others NODs, make them overload on magnified light, then pop 'em before they can see again. Cheating no doubt. But the only fair fight is the one you win...) But yeah, that is a very good point you bring up.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

i think ill just keep it simple

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Tac-lights are great features to have. If it wasn't, it wouldn't have been adopted in some of our law enforcement and military agencies. Tac-lights are not cheap, but there are those that will sacrifce the money for safety. And I totally agree, training with the equipment you are going to use is key.

There are a lot of variables to this situation and the courses of action will depend on what the individual can afford.

The make up of the house will be a great factor. My house if built where all of the bedrooms are upstairs and the only way to get upstairs is through the one stairwell. If I have time to gather my family and get them into one room, my next thing will be to wait for someone to try and sneak up the stairs, while my wife calls 911. As soon as they are about 2-3 steps from the top, i'm already zeroed in on them then on goes the blinding light. The only way to get out is to continue up the stairs or go back down and unfortunately they will not survive, or give up. Walls are on both sides of the stairwell, so the idea of over penetration and hitting innocents are not a factor in my kill zone. But if I don't have time to gather them up, I have a plan for that also. A house with the rooms on opposite side of the house will definetely change this scenario.

I have been contemplating with the idea of putting some night sights on my pistols that I have in the nightstand. But I think using my SA XD 9mm and my MX6 Tac-light will be the best choice for me. Walking around or waiting with the light on is not a good thing to do. It will give your position away and now your eyes need time to adjust. Time you might be able to afford. Who knows, maybe using just the red dot on their forehead or chest will be itimidating eough.

But again, train with what you are going to use, and be proficient at it.

Sorry so long winded...

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Not saying tac-lights are worthless. The first one I was issued in the Balkans I wore the remote switch out in 4 months. They do have a place. What got me thinking was how they are advertised for commercial sale to the public. I mean, every time I'm at the counter at the gun shop there's a couple buying their first gun and someone telling them "yeah this .40 will blow a guy through the wall" and they know no better. Zero experience. An absence of training too. That is the same market, the ones who have to look down to tell the mag release from the slide release, that's going to be snapping lights on a weapon and stalking through a dark house just like the tool is advertised. A tool designed for professionals is on the market for people who shoot once a year. The people selling the tool only care how many of them get bought.

Having said that, what people buy and do in their own home is their business, it's a free country. I'm just thinking out loud and interested in thoughts on the merits of the tac-light for common household protection. I figure if the tac-lights sell, eventually manufacturers will be making every auto model with the rails as standard, so some thought is warranted. (Someone 50 years ago was probably once thinking this about rifle scopes, now every rifle comes with rings or already drilled.)

Keola, you have a plan that multiplies your survivability. You have matched courses of action with your situation and equipment. Key here IMO is that you are using the combo weapon system completely defensively; as opposed to offensively as it will tempt the novice to do. You have a pre-determined rally point, sounds like tasks have been deligated (call 911 etc), identified a choke point, can cover the only avenue of approach, and have the potential for surprise; if you act with speed and violence, surprise will become shock. I bet my money that if you gather the flock in time to get in position (everyone is slower at 3 am) you will hold out until police arrive. When you have a simple common sense plan, equipment becomes secondary. With the right timing you can pull that defensive plan off with a hunting bow and coleman lantern. But that is the point right? SWAT gear does not come with a plan included. So in your situation, are you more effective with the tac-light as opposed to other methods?

Off subject a bit from tac-lights. You have a similar house layout to what I have; 1 staircase leading up to where the bedrooms line down a hallway. The only other way out is to open a window and get on the roof. Where I'm going with this is the over-penetration thing. My plan started out like this: the master bedroom has a 10 x 10 walk in closet to the interior side that leads directly into the second upstairs bath. Seemed like a great safe room; lots of depth, behind two doors, etc. I added a phoneline to that bathroom and made a place for my mossberg and ammo in a concealed out of reach spot in the closet. Our Great Dane has slept at the top of the stairs since he was a pup, so that allows more time to move kids into the safe room. After all that, I noticed that that bathroom is directly dead-center above the staircase. There is a phrase that was drilled into my head from way back: Bullets go both ways. I can fire safely down the stairs into the floor, but anyone shooting back that fired too far upwards would ridle the saferoom from below. Obviously a bad thing. So I decided on just using the master bedroom corner diagnal from the entrance. (20+ ft over makes a lot more heavy material to penetrate from below, still have parallel depth and anyone who gets past me in the hall will encounter my wife already set in a point of domination ie narrow field of fire.) My point being that over-penetration in a 2 story home has to be reviewed in 3 dimensions. If the worst happens where will the other guy's bullets go(both return fire and covering a retreat)? Can someone downstairs hear people above moving in a hurry(noise draws fire)? You probably have, but I'm just pointing it out.

PS. I can't call anybody else long winded :)

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Movies and cop shows are great for tac-lights......heck! they even find fibers in the daylight with them....LOL

The use of a tac-light, spot ID and back-up......not blazing the night into unknown area`s.




LTS

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

i think ill just keep it simple.my night sights are good enough

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Delta,

to answer your question:

So in your situation, are you more effective with the tac-light as opposed to other methods?

Not exactly sure. I say that because I haven't been in that situation where I had to execute (no pun intended). I do have a few other weapons that I could use as well (12 Ga or .45 acp), but I guess, the tac-light option will at least give me a split second to identify the target, ensure that i'm 100% zeroed in and possibly give them the opportunity to give up. Although, if you are in my house uninvited at some ungodly hour, I have debated the fact if I should give you the opportunity to give up..... then the humanity thought process starts to kick in. Guess i'll decide when the time comes.


Back to the original topic....

It has its advantages and disadvantages. Bottom line, know what you are doing with what you have. It all goes back to choices, just like the threads that are discussed on this site, "What is the best self defense round", "the best home defense weapon", etc. I if remember right, you were very favorable of the shotgun for home defense and others were not.


Unfortunately, the guy behind the counter who sells products that they may have no idea about are just trying to make a buck. It is a shame that they are not educated enough (the ones that you were referring to) to help the novices, they speak only what they know, so it seems as if they know what they are talking about.

Maybe look at that portion this way, at least he/she has a job and not on welfare.

Choices my brother in arms, thats what we fight for.............

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Night sights are a good thing, but some are not any better than regular sights. Some are cheap and have to be recharged like a kids toy. The ones with the mini fiber optics work well if there's a little light to be gathered, but they might be a bit fragile for knock-around stuff. Then there are the radium or whatever ones that glow the same for decades, which are probably worth the extra price. I like the ones with the green dots in back and red triangle in front or somthing similar; harder for me to screw up than three tiny green dots. I have the regular novak sights on my 1911, they are simple and bold and have a good sight profile in different lighting.

But night sights don't illuminate and a target must be identified.

Cop show weapons, they have two close combat optics, two types of lasers, a garage door opener and a pacemaker, all on one weapon just to look cool, and when the good guy gets real serious he pulls a crome desert eagle from the trunk. Nuff said.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

my night sights glow all of the time, they dont have to be charged

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

llama, simplicity can't be argued with, so the last word on sights is yours. :)

Keola, you are right on man. As far as shoot-or-don't-shoot, the only question is, will the next few minutes of the intruder's life be harmful to what you cherish?

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

You guys have touched on all the good and bad points thus far, so not much to add. I use a 1911 with tritium sights. They are not for precision so much as just locating the sights - or in some cases, the gun. (Gun resides on top of night stand, sights oriented towards bed, makes it easy to find it in the dark.)

I do not have a light attached to the gun - but do have a large mag light available as well. I think the overall idea is to be able to ID what you intend to shoot at - either will work. The attached light adds some pluses and minuses. I do like the idea of grab on thing and you have both...

Note - this is for travel. A pistol for home defense is "lightweight" in my opinion. A 12ga pump is easy to use and has increadible intimidation power as well as a lack of over penetration issues. Trimmed short enough to be handy inside a house - along with a attached light, its tough to beat. Keep it loaded with #8-9 heavy field loads and you will certainly ruin any intruders day as well as minimize the issue with over penetration.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Yeah I think precision sights on a fighting handgun don't really give any advantage anyway; if someone is taking time to aim that way, at handgun fighting range, then they are going way too slow. To the best of my knowledge, the tritium sights are top quality gun sights.

I go with the mag-light as well. For one, I can illuminate something without puting it in mortal danger. Two, it is a good impact weapon; in a bad situation it is better than your hand to force distance between yourself and someone whose lower brain has not excepted that they are dead yet.

When I lived in the country and downtown, and now on a gov installation, I always have both handgun and shotgun in quick access. It's a habit I'll probably never lose. A light on a shotgun, if that is the weapon to grab after there is no turning back, like not for a bump-in-the-night but for no-crap-hostilities-are-starting, well I could see that. A pump gun especially, because you really need two hands.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

I think i'll re-phrase the question this way:

Will the next few minutes of the intruders life be valued and cherished, or reckless and short lived.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Right.

There's a group of kids down the street that got caught breaking in houses at night and stealing movies and PS2/Xbox games and stuff. These guys are young too; probably don't even have driving permits yet. I felt sorry for their parents but it could have been a lot worse. One of 'em could have very easily become a red puddle on a livingroom carpet. And I bet the hypothetical shooter, whether or not he did the world a favor or not, would be facing a civil suit, which would be another shame.

A lot of people say upfront that they will kill whoever enters their domain, end of discussion. Which is their right to decide in my opinion. However, I'd say that once in a while, like with a punk kid, this is not clearcut justified. Having already mentally pulled the trigger and having a bullet already with someone's name on it before the fact, maybe that ain't so good always.

So in that half second between relaxing the trigger finger or sending hot metal through living flesh, it ought to be decided if this guy gets past me will I lose something that can't be replaced or a few movies. People have been shot for less though. Just some thought.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

"So in that half second between relaxing the trigger finger or sending hot metal through living flesh, it ought to be decided if this guy gets past me will I lose something that can't be replaced or a few movies. People have been shot for less though. Just some thought"


Now there`s a view that will get you killed for sure---the home owner that is.


Good Grief.......................



LTS

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

I disagree.

Every weapon has three safeties: Your brain, the one the manufacturer put on it, and your finger...in that order. Every day a person is killed just because someone mixes that order up. Every day an honest man has to answer for putting his finger before his brain. A half a second of evaluation is not a great sacrafice before committing to an unchangeable course of action.

Assess the overall danger.
ID the threat/assess immediate danger.
Act appropriately.

"Now there`s a view that will get you killed for sure" Nothing is sure, nothing is certain, and the thing will be what it will be. What we expect or anticipate really means nothing to the actuallity. We have a way of picturing things in our head very clearly, but I hate to say that in reality it will never be the same, you just never know what you are going into until you are there. My point is this: Having made up your mind, having already chosen a decision, before actually being in a situation and assessing the facts available right then, well that could be just as dangerous as anything else. To be more blunt, your gun is just a tool, just kenetic leverage for your intentions; it only does that one thing and has no other reasonable purpose. If you lock your brain, your potential leverage, if you prematurely commit to one course of action then you have surrendered your options and made your mind no different than that gun; just a tool manipulated by something chosing options.

But do what you want. Once again, just some thought.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

In my house and you say.......




"Assess the overall danger.
ID the threat/assess immediate danger.
Act appropriately."


OH PLEASE!

LTS


ps-please stay away from cop shows-holllywood and video games......
trust me, It`al save your life someday-maybe.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

So you are saying, that no matter what without any doubt you will kill anyone that is in your house?

Hollywood makes shows and games about what I do as a profession, so leave that alone.

PS. I'm not telling you what you should or shouldn't do in your house or anywhere else. Again, it's just for thought. Thanks.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Hollywood makes shows and games about what I do as a profession, so leave that alone.

...and why should it be left alone???

So far, I have yet to see anything that would qualify as superior.


LTS

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

You're coming across as condescending on a personal level. Is it intentional? Do you mean it that way? Or am I reading you wrong? I'm not thinskinned. I'm not going to oblige a personal argument here if you have a chip on your shoulder or for any other reason.

You said I've gotten my view from Hollywood. That is the furthest from the truth. You can talk about my profession; I'll most likely tell you what I hold to be true, if it is on topic and appropriate. But if you are going to refer to me as some foolish audience mentally digesting TV bullcrap, then you are going the wrong way on a one-way street that leads to nowhere, and the sign you passed says "Leave that alone". (Shucks! What the heck did ya think I meant?)

You haven't seen anything that would qualify as superior. You don't know my story and I don't know yours. What gives you the privilage to rate me as anything? Do you have the qualification to start with? If so, I would be happy to acknowledge your standing, and I'm not being sarcastic. I train and mentor the finest soldiers in the world. I provide guidance, purpose, motivation, and leadership to warriors worthy of representing the greatest country ever established. For my entire adult life I have been a part of, or strived to build and maintain, groups of people who make a team that is pound for pound, man for man, the fastest moving, hardest hitting, most lethal mechanism of death in the history of land warfare. Mostly because we cannot fail to accomplish in the field what the people you vote for fail to do in plush assembly halls. A professional is one who accomplishes his tasks under conditions so severe, in environments so unforgiving, and with such a lack of resources, that the amatuer won't even try; I was taught to never forget this absolute difference. If you are a professional in my field, or even in a similar or parallel field, and are of any status to judge my proficiency, then lay it out so I can pick it up. The smartest man I ever met told me to learn one thing every day, and I'm still not too big enough to ignore that advice. I went to the school of hard knocks a few semesters, where the bell don't ring and you never know the teachers name; so if you are qulified to teach me a superior I don't know, I will learn it.

As far as I know, you are allowed to have your opinion and I'm allowed to have mine. (And even exist that way without any problems btw.) I know for a fact that no matter what we disagree on, the sun will still come up in the morning. If that is not how it is here, if different opinions are not valued, then I very respectfully ask to be banned.

PS. If you have a personal issue with me, I invite you to contact me privately.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Please don`t allow your tutu to slip round your ankles and trip you. Thin skinned but you wish for banishment, isn`t that what someone who gives up says?? My point is simple and it was stated.


"Assess the overall danger.
ID the threat/assess immediate danger.
Act appropriately."

This will get you killed in your home and allow me to simplify this logic.

1) Assess the overall danger.

When you enter someone`s house, as not your own, the danger has been assessed.

2) ID threat/assess danger.

When someone is in your house, you are in danger-PERIOD!
Maybe you will ask for a name----I will not.

3)Act appropriately.

ACT?? I think not, this is defined as "react" reaction always loses to action--always, never forget that.

While you may (in your line) have backup, the home owner is alone and 911 is a long way away.


"So in that half second between relaxing the trigger finger or sending hot metal through living flesh, it ought to be decided if this guy gets past me will I lose something that can't be replaced or a few movies. People have been shot for less though. Just some thought"

This will get you killed, I don`t care if he is looking for a pencil/ie, a few movies. The intruder has proven his means by entering. I have little regard for age either, for I am in belief that all know wrong from right.....unless a child---as in ten or under and that can be debated until the sun rises, concerning age.


I am always amazed, when we become so correct as to give an intruder the upper hand and your evaluation "assess" gives this very thing up.


It is well known, (please note the word "average") The average person can close seven yards (21 feet)and deliever a fatal strike in under one and one half seconds. If the intruder is armed with a firearm, the window is less in your favor. Should I ask if the intruder is armed? Assess what he is armed with??


Reality is sometimes brutal, but I "will" walk away.


LTS

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

Woe, hang on to your own panties sweetheart. My tutu is still up; I don't like you that way even if you are kinda cute.

If I'm going to be drug out into a petty argument hinged on personal issues for having a different belief, then that goes against everything I believe in, so yes I would rather not be associated with such a place, nor could I quietly pretend not to detest anyone who abused a fellow in such a way for excersising his freedom of having his own opinion. Perhaps we have an understanding now, since you have gotten back to your original point. Now a good old debate, even if much of it is regarding the intangible, well that is fine. So grab my tutu comrade and let's dance.

Assess the overall danger: This will provide you a means to stay alive. There are implied tasks here. Now in your head, you assume you will be in bed and understand instantly what has has occured, your weapon is at hand, you know where everyone is, and your mutual fund is gaining ground in New York, so you will move decisively to halt the evil intruder and let the Devil take him. But in reality there are things that must be asked, thus one must assess. Because things never go wrong until they should not.
Here are a few in general, but there are too many to list; Mr Murphy likes variety and has a plan for everyone.
1. Are some family members going to pull into the driveway at any minute?
2. Where are you in the house? In the shower, on the toilet cursing the bad fish from Landlubber's Agony Diner, under your wife while she calls for Gods she don't believe in, at the fridge wondering if velveeta is really cheese and what to put it on at midnight, or in the den on the internet looking at a new Kimber...you get the picture.
3. Are you closer to the gun or the kindling ax?
4. How many intruders to you believe there are?
5. How did they get in? Did you here a bump on the patio, the alarm is blinking, or did the SOB's drive a Toyota through the front foyer?
6. Were the morning radio talkshow clowns talking about a ten man jailbreak today?
7. How did it start? There are no coincidences; unordinary things happening mean more unordinary things. Was someone saying "Police" and banging on the front door when the backdoor started getting kicked? Is there really a police car out there or a purple Honda?
8. Are they loading stuff from the shed in a Uhaul, or are they in the house proper?
Overall danger. This must be known. If it is just a guy in the living room, and you family is safe upstairs having a conversation with Jenn the 911 dispatcher, great; too easy. But it is foolish to believe the situation will always be simple. If it is a complicated situation, like several intruders came through multiple points and know what they are doing (say maybe because they are in the market for gun collections and tracked you down and intentionally enter at the moment best for their purpose) then things are going to get very dynamic before they get kenetic. An assessment must be made to recognize the indicators. Then you can place yourself do to the most damage, at the moment you choose, with the least harm to yourself because you have grasped the basic facts of what is or is not happening. Or, if one knows everything already, he can just wait patiently for his foes to show him what is going on. They do get a vote too, no matter how bad you wish them not to.

ID the threat/assess immediate danger: ID of a target is the foremost and most basic rule of both combat and weapon safety. There is no way around it and there is no excuse for disregard of this. I have lost friends because this rule was ignored. You must know what you are shooting. God help anyone who doesn't.
It will cost the time it takes some nerve endings to fire around in the front of the brain; what is purchased is certainty and either a stay from terrible grief and/or a life in confinement. It's a lot to buy with just the time it takes data to move from your optic center to your mind.
1. Have you identified a two-legged predator? Great. Hopefully your carpet is Scotch-guarded and the police questioning is very short outside in one of the cars and you don't have to be sat in the little room at the station.
2. Is it a stupid unarmed kid who was dared to enter your house and wouldn't punk out in front of his friends or a girl? You are going to the little room at the station, and for crap sake don't try to justify your actions with the same wording you use here or you are going to another tiny room with a metal bed until your local peers hear all about poor Steve and his potential wasted and decide what to do with you; because to them you are the two-legged predator.
3. Is it a person in panic that forced into your home to flee for their own life? Did you know that this has happened before? Perhaps you may justify your actions. But you will always wonder.

Assessing immediate danger is a very short thing. It is immediate after all. I know how far a man can cover in a second; we train beyond the limits to cover more than that while exhausted and wearing 50 pounds of crap. But assessing the immediate danger is part of Threat ID.
1. Is it an unarmed woman, bleeding from busting the door window, her face eyes swelled shut and stab wounds in her lower back, in a panic at your stair case that is overcome with the horrible desire to live through the night? The danger to you from her is low if you domiate the situation after identifying your own self. This will cost you a whole moment of your life to do the right thing. If not, her attacker will be rude not to send you flowers.
2. Is it a crackhead with your TV? Do what you want. Nobody will care much as long as you can prove he had a way of harming you while holding that TV. Perhaps getting him to drop it a few feet from where he was shot will prevent the family from coming after every penny you ever earned. I so wish that I were completely joking, but you probobably know it ain't funny.
3. Is it a stoned kid on your couch? This is the type of things that keeps defense attornies in business with honest folk. I would use that right to remain silent because nothing you can say will help you; you need a pro to start supressing evidence and fight for you an indifferent jury. Good luck.
4. Is it three previously stolen shotgun barrels pointed up your stairwell? Good thing you assessed this immediate danger, because now you can make survivability movement (drop and roll) and not live the next few moments sucking air into blood.

Act appropriately: If an explanation is needed here, then no weapon will help you. Find somewhere to start learning. There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything. I'm not offering that information without invitation because you, or anyone else, should do as you wish.

"I am always amazed, when we become so correct as to give an intruder the upper hand and your evaluation "assess" gives this very thing up."

Yes I agree things have become too correct. It doesn't have anything to do with giving the upperhand. We must look before that. It has to do with what is necessary or not, what can be done or should not, and things that right now I don't have the words for.

I seen soldiers over and over take that half-moment to assess what they really saw, spending that precious nonrefundable fraction of time to be certain even while men were in the act of killing them, and they did it because it was right and they had seen what pathetic bloody wrong looked like and heard what it sounded like when it's too late to go back and pay the price of right. When they did do the unthinkable, it was forced upon them, and if allowed they would have had it another way. But they are brave; no other word is worthy of them, and even it falls short. They set aside pain, terror, and discomfort in the worst possible circumstance to do what must be done, and to do it right; and that is courage. I'll be damned to believe any man can't, is fundamentally incapable to, show similar prowess in a drastically lower intensity situation. Such a man is a tragedy waiting to happen.

But again they are brave. It is a shame that everyone is not. There would be no need for my occupation. Try to figure that out if you can. A writer named L'amour once wrote "A coward is surely more dangerous than a brave man, for the coward will likely kill out of fear, where the brave man would not." I have seen, smelled, tasted, heard, and relived in my dreams the utter truth of this horrible fact.

"Reality is sometimes brutal, but I "will" walk away."

Perhaps yes. Despite all else I hope so. Be aware that one in a fight may do everything right and still never see nor hear what kills him. So let those who assume they know every ingredient to the formula of their own fate continue in bliss, and hope we always speak for the living and not yet for the dead.

To walk away. Walk as far as you want, you will never be away. There is no such thing. It is only the beginning. You will do much walking, and much thoughtful pacing, and walk some more through the halls of justice and your actions will be measured where your logic or intentions or what you were certain of have no recognizable bearing. And walk still some more if you were wrong. Please never let me walk through the memory of a broken teenager bleeding in my own floor, or hear him or her beg for help; a young person remembers many people at such a time and he will mention none you want to look in the eye. But you will. When you are measured. All for being trigger-happy when a better man might have the courage for his conviction. Never let my family see me measured short for such a useless thing. Live. Living with that would be the beginning of justice.

I can train a monkey to just shoot people he don't recognize. It is simple conditioned response; manipulation of the animal, not much different than the human animal either. But a man or woman, I would think would strive beyond this, or risk being a victim of themselves.

Sometimes I think when we are so certain as that we can say exactly what we will do in a situation that has not yet occured, we should ask ourselves how we know what we think we know. To say "I will do exactly this and it well certainly be exactly this and this will happen" are not the words of a man who has been anywhere near any type of battle; not the logic of a man who has fought for blood. Where did we learn what we know?? From doing? From reading? From hearing from others who read it from others who heard?

In combat, every individual does not rush to failure. There those who develope the situation when it can be developed. They are the killers; the ones who most likely will walk away. I bash my head in to make these collected cool people who will only act on assumption when there is no choice. With experience, they recognize when to not hesitate, when to never look back, and still when to give up a fraction of a second to let things visibly fall into place before they jump. They are among the best for many reasons, any one of them will methodically ruin ten of the other guys, and because of what I'm trying to tell you is only one of the reasons, but it is one.

Re: Tac-lights and house guns
 

....ah, ok



LTS