Originally Posted by
NH Shooter
Great points, thanks for taking the time to post them!
To clarify, the context of the article is for a civilian (non-LEO) in a public setting. Inside one's home is a different set of circumstances (especially in a state with Castle Doctrine law), and a LEO (on duty or off) is going to have far more latitude in drawing their weapon without any "brandishing" repercussions.
A scenario that comes to mind is I already have my handheld light out for SA purposes in a public space - a practice I advocate. Suddenly, a threat emerges and I find myself in a defensive situation where the use of deadly force would be justified. As I draw my WML-equipped pistol, do I drop the handheld and transition to the WML, or do I keep the threat illuminated and continue to use the handheld with my well-practiced flashlight-pistol technique?
Under the stress of the moment, I think retaining the handheld light is going to be more instinctual because it's already in-hand and illuminating the threat.
So as a civilian in a public space, if my SOP is to have the handheld deployed whenever it's needed, and if I'm going to retain the light and use it with the pistol if a threat emerges, does a WML mounted to the pistol become largely irrelevant? Would my training bandwidth be better spent on a tool that has broader application?
As always, just my 2-cents served up as food for thought. My thanks again to all for chiming in!