THE TACTICAL FAMILY: A MATTER OF LIGHT PART ONE

Dr. Jeff Cantor
Realistic personal defense means being prepared for any situation, and that means from the loud mouth belligerent guy in the parking lot to an active shooter or coldblooded murderer. To do this you need the right tools for the job and the knowledge to use them properly. There is no weapon that is the solution to all your personal defense needs.

In actuality, your mind is your greatest weapon and all the rest are just tools. You should have an assortment of “tools” in your toolbox each with an appropriate application and function and the know-how to use each tool.

Today I want to discuss the flashlight as one of those tools and although it is considered a less-lethal tool, keep in mind that almost anything can function as a lethal weapon for those with some education and training.

Many of you typically think of flashlights as something you use in case of a power outage or when you have to find something in the attic or fix something under the sink, but I can tell you from experience that a good flashlight is an extremely versatile tool and should be something that is part of your everyday carry kit next to your folding knife. You should also keep a flashlight in your home, office, at your job and in your vehicle.

What is a Tactical Flashlight?
To be specific, I am talking about a ‘tactical flashlight.’ Traditional flashlights are made from plastic or cheap aluminum material, are unreliable and do not have much in the way of lumens to “light up” your way or an attacker.  

Tactical flashlights are designed smaller, many fit in the palm of your hand and are made from mil-spec aluminum, come in a variety of lumens that emit more light to suit any purpose or objective, have a tail push button on-off switch and many have a striking bezel, which can be used for personal defense.  

Some have strobes; SOS functions or the ability to change the brightness output capabilities, some have lanyard holes for retention and some of them are even waterproof!   Since tactical flashlights were designed to be used by the military and law enforcement, many of them are designed to be mounted to a weapon system such as a handgun or rifle to assist the operator in low or no light situations.  

If it is designed for the military and law enforcement why do I like it for private citizens?
No matter if you are retired, a work from home mom or dad, an executive, student, a police officer or a soldier, when employed effectively, the tactical flashlight is a remarkable personal defense tool. It can help you identify a threat, blind them temporarily or disorient them and be employed as an impact weapon.

Let’s talk Lumens
In simple language, lumens are a measure of the total amount of light from a lamp or light source. The higher the lumen rating, the brighter the lamp will be. Just to put it into perspective, the flame from a candle is about 12 lumens. A two cell (double A) mini maglite averages about 12 lumens. Now, with the advent of advanced technology, tactical flashlights range from 120 lumens to well over 2000 depending on the model.
The incredible power that can be emitted from these very small handheld flashlights is more than enough to temporarily blind a person. By the way the threshold in lumens for temporary blinding capacity is 80 lumens, of course that is someone who has night adapted vision. All of the manufacturers though consider 300 to 500 lumens, the new standard output needed to induce temporary blindness.

The Tactical Flashlight for Personal Defense
There are a number of advantages that the tactical flashlight can provide for personal protection.

Illuminate Your Way-this is perhaps the most obvious but because tactical flashlights in general tend to have higher lumens and thus more light emitting power, these flashlights can help you see at night, whether your out walking the dog or in the movie theater or to prevent you from stepping in the wrong place. They offer luminosity for any purpose.

Help Identify Threats-Attackers often strike under the cover of darkness to gain an advantage. Having a tactical flashlight can help you identify threats in low and no light situations and environments, which can help you turn the tables on the attacker or at least level the field.
Temporarily Blind or Disorient Attackers-at night or in dark spaces, your eyes go through a process called dark adaptation. Your eyes work much in the same way a camera does. The iris of the eye allows light to enter through the pupil and act as a diaphragm regulating the amount of light that is let in.
During periods of darkness, the Iris increases the amount of light that is let in thus dilating the pupils so you can see things at night or in dark areas.

By shining a bright light on the attacker you are taking advantage of this dark adaptation, which when a high intensity output light is employed, will cause temporarily blindness and even disorientation. This may cause the perpetrator to falter or flee, but more importantly, it can give you a tactical advantage allowing you to escape or at least give you a second or two to deploy a weapon or use your body weapons to defend yourself.

Can be Used as an Impact Weapon-Because of the higher quality materials that these modern tactical flashlights have, they are much stronger and won’t bend or break easily.

They are built with self-defense in mind. This is evidenced by the fact that many of these lights have a striking style bezel that can be employed for defense as well as DNA collection.

The bezel styles varies from scalloped to pointed, but one thing is for sure the sharp edges and protrusions have been carefully designed to puncture, rip and tear skin and also may be used to eye gouge.

Provides a Tactical Advantage When Used with Other Weapons-When you use the tactical flashlight in combination with other personal defense weapons such as a firearm, knife or your body weapons, it provides an excellent way to disrupt and disorient the attacker causing them to falter, pause or lose focus so that you can launch an attack empty handed if you are unarmed.
If you are armed with a handgun, knife, tactical pen or baton, it can help you create time and space to deploy your weapon. The bright light also masks your position and intent so that even if you are holding a weapon of any kind, they may not see it during that moment, which gives you a tactical advantage.

Other than the reasons listed here above the tactical flashlight is also easy to obtain, does not require licensing and has no restrictions. It is perfectly legal in every state of the United States and while I cannot comment on every country in the world, suffice it to say that it is an unrestricted tool that is used all over the globe.

You can carry your tactical flashlight into places where firearms are prohibited, take it on an airplane, and they are discreet as most of them can easily be concealed in a pocket, jacket, backpack or other bag without causing the slightest concern that you are “printing” something that gives the impression of a weapon.

Lastly in regards to advantages, the tactical flashlight can be quite effective against animals. My own experience recently in this regard can shed some light on why it is effective in this manner.

A couple of weeks ago as I was pulling into my driveway one night, I noticed a good-sized raccoon sitting on my driveway very close to the garage door.

As I pulled in it ran off, but I had the feeling this was going to be a nightly thing. A few nights ago I was putting the garbage out for pick up the next morning. I had the inside lights off in the garage, but had my Surefire E2 Defender flashlight in my left hand. Sure enough that big old raccoon was sitting there and this time he was not in a hurry to leave. I quickly responded by hitting the tail switch on my defender and shined that high out put light right in the raccoon’s eyes and he quickly ran off into the brush.

I am not saying it’s the only tool you need for this or any purpose but it sure is one tool you should have with you all the time.
You can continue on if you like to part two of this article will show you how to use the tactical flashlight in a personal defense situation for urban survival.

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