Do you have a light on your EDC firearm?

[Kruel J]

Why am I carrying groceries in the dark? I push a shopping cart of groceries thru a well lighted parking lot. Both my hands are free. If the lights went out, I would have been using a flashlight. One hand is free.

When I arrive home, if the exterior lights are all out only on my home, it will be suspicious and I won't go home, and I'll assess and perhaps call the cops. If somehow all the lights are out in my neighborhood, I'll go inside, both hands are free, and get a headlamp and return to get my groceries.

These are softballs. Come on guys. Where is the real training for me to get a WML and get with the WML program to see the need to spend the money and time on this new gear...?

There isn't. You've made up your mind. You've decided that you don't need or want a WML. Fair enough.

Edited.

 

[leadcounsel]

Ya'll should know that last week I nearly pulled the trigger and bought an Olight WML for my EDC. I gave it some hard thinking, and decided that I could not come up with a scenario where - in public - it would be of legit use.

See, legally, to draw a gun one must have identified a lethal or serious threat to oneself or other innocents. One can only do that if you presumably already see it. So really you're drawing a gun light to ID a threat, which is likely putting you in legal jeopardy. You could be instigating a lethal threat and someone draws to defend against your aggression... But conversely if you already have a flashlight out to ID a threat, there's really little need (or time) to activate a WML when you already have the primary light out.

It's sorta a cart before the horse assessment and no scenario presented has been realistic or convinced me otherwise...

 

[No_Regerts]

Ya'll should know that last week I nearly pulled the trigger and bought an Olight WML for my EDC. I gave it some hard thinking, and decided that I could not come up with a scenario where - in public - it would be of legit use.

See, legally, to draw a gun one must have identified a lethal or serious threat to oneself or other innocents. One can only do that if you presumably already see it. So really you're drawing a gun light to ID a threat, which is likely putting you in legal jeopardy. You could be instigating a lethal threat and someone draws to defend against your aggression... But conversely if you already have a flashlight out to ID a threat, there's really little need (or time) to activate a WML when you already have the primary light out.

It's sorta a cart before the horse assessment and no scenario presented has been realistic or convinced me otherwise...

Or you walk up on something in a poorly lit area and you turn on your handheld to see whats making some noise and its someone doing something bad enough that you draw and it gives bad guy pause. Wml comes on so you can put your handheld away and use the hand to dial 911. You can see every move dude makes, so he doesn't have the opportunity like he would in darkness, to turn on you.

 

[UnionMillsNW]

I rotate between two pistols as my EDC (depending on what I am wearing, the weather, social situation, ect ) and I don't have a light on either pistol. I do carry a Streamlight Stylus Pro ( https://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-66122-Stylus-Light-Holster/dp/B0015UC17E?th=1) everywhere I go.

Coming from the military I found a huge benefit in having a light on my rifle. It makes clearing rooms and dark alleys a whole ton easier...however with a pistol (especially in a defensive situation) an attached light may or may not be ideal.

If you hear a crash at night and it's someone trying to break into your house....ideal to have a pistol light.
If you hear a crash at night and it's a lost kid (or pick a scenario with an innocent bystander) keeping your pistol light on them is a bad idea.

We can't prepare for every possible scenario...so I prepare and train for what is likely to happen; and having a flashlight in my pocket has worked just fine so far.

Safe Shooting.

 

[leadcounsel]

I don't plan to hold people at gunpoint in public. It's a good way to get killed. Or misunderstood. It's not why I conceal carry. This very scenario was in one of my concealed carry courses. A struggle between a man and a woman in an alley. The woman was screaming help as the man tried to pin her down. One student said he would shoot the man. He failed the scenario. The man in the scenario was a plain clothes detective making a lawful arrest.

Better off taking a picture and leaving the scene and calling the police.

Army vet apparently attempted to do something similar at an ATM, details unclear. The bad guys shot and killed him, fled and now claim self defense.

Veteran gunned down at ATM after returning home from Army

Man who shot Army vet at ATM claims self-defense

 

[Kruel J]

I don't plan to hold people at gunpoint in public. It's a good way to get killed. Or misunderstood. It's not why I conceal carry. This very scenario was in one of my concealed carry courses. A struggle between a man and a woman in an alley. The woman was screaming help as the man tried to pin her down. One student said he would shoot the man. He failed the scenario. The man in the scenario was a plain clothes detective making a lawful arrest.

Better off taking a picture and leaving the scene and calling the police.

Army vet apparently attempted to do something similar at an ATM, details unclear. The bad guys shot and killed him, fled and now claim self defense.

Veteran gunned down at ATM after returning home from Army

Man who shot Army vet at ATM claims self-defense

You continue to cite examples and information that has ZERO to do with the topic of WML's.

 

[leadcounsel]

You continue to cite examples and information that has ZERO to do with the topic of WML's.

Um, read post #123. I'm responding to that scenario.

 

[No_Regerts]

I don't plan to hold people at gunpoint in public. It's a good way to get killed. Or misunderstood. It's not why I conceal carry. This very scenario was in one of my concealed carry courses. A struggle between a man and a woman in an alley. The woman was screaming help as the man tried to pin her down. One student said he would shoot the man. He failed the scenario. The man in the scenario was a plain clothes detective making a lawful arrest.

Better off taking a picture and leaving the scene and calling the police.

Army vet apparently attempted to do something similar at an ATM, details unclear. The bad guys shot and killed him, fled and now claim self defense.

Veteran gunned down at ATM after returning home from Army

Man who shot Army vet at ATM claims self-defense

The plain clothes officer woild encourage you to call 911.

The Army guy should have shot them.

 

[Kruel J]

Um, read post #123. I'm responding to that scenario.

Yet your thread drifting from the original topic remains highly questionable and even laughable at times. Respond to any scenario you like, with crash helmets and TBI stats. None of which have anything to do with WML's. Hah, I find your ability to compare apples to oranges to frozen beef patties amusing.

 

[leadcounsel]

Okay, on topic. A question still not answered. Post a single incident of a civilian relying on a WML for self defense to get the ball rolling; otherwise you're spending time/energy/money on gadgets that serve no real purpose. You're preparing for a non-event. How can you "train" for an event for which never happens and you can't propose a realistic scenario for which to train???

Like I said, may as well carry a blow gun to silently dispose of sentry dogs. About as likely to need it.

 

[Kruel J]

Okay, on topic. A question still not answered. Post a single incident of a civilian relying on a WML for self defense to get the ball rolling; otherwise you're spending time/energy/money on gadgets that serve no real purpose. You're preparing for a non-event. How can you "train" for an event for which never happens and you can't propose a realistic scenario for which to train???

Like I said, may as well carry a blow gun to silently dispose of sentry dogs. About as likely to need it.

That's a data column not often check marked.

 

[Kruel J]

And in a shoot situation, not even relevant.

 

[leadcounsel]

Convenient. Okay, there's thousands of hours of self defense shooting videos. Got one with a civilian using a WML in public space? Should be an easy challenge if this is something that really happens much.

 

[Kruel J]

Convenient. Okay, there's thousands of hours of self defense shooting videos. Got one with a civilian using a WML in public space? Should be an easy challenge if this is something that really happens much.

As was said WAY EARLIER....you may not find WML's useful, but to state they are "useless" is blind and simply uneducated.

I'm done here. You do you. I said that long enough ago to forget the post number.

 

[leadcounsel]

Okay, I've finished beating this dead horse. I don't use them and find them nearly pointless for EDC. For civilians, if they were truly useful, there would be a flow of real examples. There's not. That is a data point and a clue. I have been around and around on many forums and nobody who carries them can present a real world training scenario or example of public use of a WML where a flashlight wasn't just as good for 1/5th the cost. And flashlights are far more versatile, giving one a non-lethal option.

Oh, and here's a tangible reason to NOT use them. On some model Glocks, for instance, it's reported that it causes the weapon to malfunction because it changes the frame flex. I don't have any personal experience with that but one might have a weapon malfunction due to a WML unless someone puts a lot of rounds thru it with the light attached. So that's one reason to mistrust them.

My mind is open to learn and select the best tools, tactics, and procedures and not get bogged down in cool-guy gear just because. I put these in cool-guy gear category until proven otherwise. If someone can prove me wrong, I'll gladly adapt to a superior method of tools and tactics.

Carry what you will. We're all on the same team, let's not forget.

 

[Alexx1401]

That's a data column not often check marked.

Checking Amazon for a blow gun............... Hey it's Prime

 

[Esam85]

Okay, I've finished beating this dead horse. I don't use them and find them nearly pointless for EDC. For civilians, if they were truly useful, there would be a flow of real examples. There's not. That is a data point and a clue. I have been around and around on many forums and nobody who carries them can present a real world training scenario or example of public use of a WML where a flashlight wasn't just as good for 1/5th the cost. And flashlights are far more versatile, giving one a non-lethal option.

Oh, and here's a tangible reason to NOT use them. On some model Glocks, for instance, it's reported that it causes the weapon to malfunction because it changes the frame flex. I don't have any personal experience with that but one might have a weapon malfunction due to a WML unless someone puts a lot of rounds thru it with the light attached. So that's one reason to mistrust them.

My mind is open to learn and select the best tools, tactics, and procedures and not get bogged down in cool-guy gear just because. I put these in cool-guy gear category until proven otherwise. If someone can prove me wrong, I'll gladly adapt to a superior method of tools and tactics.

Carry what you will. We're all on the same team, let's not forget.

I can tell you i personally have about 20k rounds through my G17 with a light and have had zero issues. I carry with a wml because i use my same pistol for home defense as a carry gun. You are right the chance of me needing my gun is already low and even lower that the light will be. That being said its how i have trained and i only carry guns i have trained with extensively. I would also like to point out that it is a recent change to carry WML your story question could change in the near future.