The Benefits of Pistol Mounted Lights in Home Defense (VIDEO)

A high quality, high lumen, pistol mounted light is one accessory that offers major advantages for a home owner in a self-defense situation. One major reason is that the fourth rule of firearms safety – know your target – still applies even during nighttime home invasions. Being able to make sure that the bump in the night you heard is an actual threat and not a family member or pet can save you from making a horrible and life altering mistake. In addition, if you do have to shoot to defend yourself, a weapon mounted light helps give you a clear sight picture that aids your accuracy and helps speed up any necessary follow up shots.

Some commonly heard criticism of a WML for home defense is that you could temporarily blind yourself if you shine the light into a mirror or white wall. Another is that you are just giving away your position to a potential bad guy or that in order to see something you have to point your gun at it. In reality, these are non-issues. They’re easily remedied through training and can be dismissed one-by-one. 

The last two criticisms are easily addressed through proper training. The ambient light, or “spill” from a bright WML, makes it quite easy to see your surroundings without needing to point your pistol directly at a target, especially indoors. A smart home defender will practice a defense plan in daylight as well as darkness, so take a minute to learn the characteristics of your light and what it will and will not illuminate clearly.

First, the blinding argument. Try though I might I was unable to find even anecdotal evidence of this ever being a problem, either in training or real life. The bottom line is that even the brightest of lights just aren’t powerful enough to completely blind and disorient you when shined at a white wall. And if you are using the light for home defense, why in the world would you be shining a light at a mirror that you know is there?