I know what you are thinking, “I do. My cell phone has a flashlight and it goes everywhere with me.” Well, your phone isn’t a tactical flashlight, it’s a phone that happens to have a flashlight. I’m talking about a dedicated tactical flashlight (like my Streamlight Microstream) that can serve as a force multiplier.
So let’s get into the 7 benefits you will get out of a quality tactical flashlight.
Reason #1: It Puts Light on the Subject
Ok, so this one is obvious, but as bad as things are they are always worse in the dark. Whether it’s dropping your keys in a parking lot or having to walk down a dark alley, things are just better with illumination.
Reason #2: It Identifies Friend or Foe
If you carry a firearm you should know the importance of identifying your target. Afterall, the last thing you want is to take the life of an innocent person. You might think to yourself “That’s why I have a weapon mounted light.” Weapon mounted lights are great, but in order to illuminate something you also have to point your muzzle at it and this might not always be ideal. Besides, there’s the old saying two is one and one is none, so why not have a tactical flashlight and weapon mounted light.
Reason #3: It Disorients and Buys You Time
If you have ever been stopped by the police at night you’ll notice they always have lights in your eyes. When we lose our vision, even temporarily, we get disoriented. When we are disoriented we are much more passive. As a bonus to the threat being disoriented, it gives you time, and time is your friend. It gives you time to react, possibly get behind cover and put distance between you and the threat.
Reason #4: It Amplifies your Commands
If you have someone that’s making you uncomfortable, say in a dark parking lot, the first thing you may need to do is use verbal commands. Putting a light in their eyes and using strong verbal command can really assert dominance and back them up a bit. In Episode 10 of our podcast, our guest “Rick the Investigator” explains exactly how to use this tactic. He tells us “you give him commands to step away, [that] you don’t want him in the area. You can even say I’ve called 911 or my wife’s calling 911.”
Reason #5: It Gives you the Upper “Hand”
Whenever potential lethal force encounters are possible, we want to see where the threats hands are, while hiding ours. In Episode 10, Rick mentions that by putting a light on a potential threat “[it]… stuns him, establishes… where he is and what he’s got in his hands.” Rick continues on to say, “also, he can’t see your hands…now instead of defense, you’re in the offensive position and you can give commands…A tactical flashlight is a very effective intermediate.
So there you have it, 5 reasons why you should carry a tactical flashlight with you everywhere. If you want more info on this topic check out our post on what features to look for in a tactical flashlight.
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