Thinking Man's Corner

Article By: William G.

If I had it my way, Patrol would be carrying heavy barreled Smith and Wesson Model 10 revolvers loaded with Super Vel and using Kel Lights, and SWAT would be carrying 1911’s loaded with hardball, and have Laser Products 6P’s (because SWAT is elite, and better, and has to have better stuff, because it is cool; and once upon a time Dollywood I was SWAT so I can say that, because you’re either SWAT or you’re not). There are still not a lot of situations in domestic law enforcement that cannot be handled with those mentioned above, a slide action 12 gauge, a lever action 30-30, or a bolt action 308. However, that is just daydreaming of the better days of the past, and that is another country.

I don’t like striker fired, plastic 9mm’s, pistol mounted optics, weapon mounted lights, and the isosceles stance. I wish I could be the opposite of progress, and the wall it crashes against, but it is 2023 (as I write this, about to be 2024. (NOTE: I get an idea, and start to write, then get busy, and leave it in draft, thus the publish date vs writing date. I try to leave it as original as possible.) So, as much as I hate how things have changed, some not for the better, I must evolve as technology and society has evolved. It is a duty and a debt that is owed to officers we train, and the public we protect.

A Peace Officer must be morally, ethically, and legally certain of his target, or more importantly what is not his target. A weapon mounted light is critical to preserve life. While we don’t necessarily search with one, though you most certainly can-effectively, and without violating the law or any of the established safety rules-it does save the wrong person from being shot. It also aides the peace officer in shooting accurately and effectively; very much more so than a handheld light.  

Peace Officers are not the same as a private citizen. Commonly known case law says that Peace Officers are paid to look for trouble. Some of the places they are sent will not always have enough light to identify what is and is not a target. They are often placed in situations that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly revolving. A weapon mounted light, when used properly is a huge advantage and a mandatory piece of safety gear. I have searched underground bunkers and basements of crack houses with a 1911 and a handheld light, and done the same with a Glock with a Surefire X200A and DG switch (I am dating myself). It was easier and safer, with the Glock and WML. At the time, I wasn’t the slightest bit concerned about not having a 45 Auto with a tuned trigger. Instead, I was surer and more confident in being able to handle the hell that awaited by having more rounds on board in a more controllable package. While I could have mounted a light on a 1911 (and I have to include a Surefire 610R – dating myself again), they do not handle the same, and the capacity is not there. If you have good tactics, sometimes those extra bullets can make a difference, given you keep your mind calm in chaos.

What brought this on? I spent most of November and December doing low light training for my agency. Most of that training involved how to efficiently and swiftly bring a handheld light to bear while incorporating the draw, without shooting anything that doesn’t need to be shot. A smaller portion of that training involved specialized searching techniques and tactics of WML usage. I was reminded that some things I teach are not mainstream, and some of the newer officers had not yet been exposed to true gunfighting techniques. (Are you training to the lowest common denominator, or weeding those from the program that are a danger to other officers, the public, and themselves? Are you checking a box, or actually teaching them to win gunfights, not shootings, actual gunfights against dedicated, trained, ruthless opponents?) So, I thought I would talk about some of the things here.

It is absolutely possible to hit the A/C zone of a IPSC target at 50 yards with a handheld light and snub nosed revolver. It is easier to do so with a WML on a service pistol. IF, you train, IF. For most officers, hitting that target under speed with even a WML is a not so sure proposition. However, if we add a pistol mounted optic, it becomes quite easy for them, assuming the proper instructor has prepared them. Some of the officers were pushed to a measured 120 yards, hitting this target with a stock service pistol, WML, and PMO; not all, but a quarter of the students I had could do this. Only one was able to do it with iron sights, but he is a shooter on his own time. That is important. Most are not going to train on their own time. Even if they do, what are they training for? A gunfight, or shooting the state course? There is the problem.

When it is cold, or there is high humidity, a smoke screen appears in front of the shooter due to a variety of reasons that don’t add value to the article. When you add any white light source, the light bounces off the wall of smoke. This is one of the reasons I teach dedicated, planned, movement. Light on, shoot, light off, MOVE, light on, shoot again if needed, light off, MOVE, rinse and repeat. The greater the distance of the shot, the more movement that is required to SEE between targets.

With a WML, there are studies about sympathetic clinching, etc. I prefer a light that does the same thing from either side of the switch. Push down and hold, then the light turns off when you release pressure; or tap down and release and get permanent on until you tap it again – something like that. Not where down on the left is temporary and down on the right is permanent – that is too confusing under duress, and I promise I can induce enough chaos to trip up the most accomplished practitioner in a system that is not mirror image. What I prefer even more is a pressure switch, such as the excellent DG switch for Surefire lights. That allows a swifter, more fluid operation, and also allows to use the light one handed in a safer manner.

With handheld lights, I like a light with a dead man switch. Press for light, release for no light. No clicky cap. I get light when I want it, and no light when I want it, with no extra actions or thinking. One brightness setting. No strobe. Strobe is not very good, not at all. It is disorienting for the person you are strobing, and disorienting for you. Try a strobe, on the move, with a smoke screen (because you are under a metal roof of a large building used to store tractors on a plantation, and it is 0100 hours on a dark, dark night, in the 30 degree weather), while you are being shot at – oh, and watch out for those low cages on the ground (the ones that they collect rattle snakes they find in the fields – yes, that is a real thing on southern plantations) you don’t want to win the gunfight, but trip into a den of venomous snakes. So, no, I do not like the strobe not in real life, but it is cool in force on force isn’t it? And, carry a task light for general usage – you should have two handheld lights anyway.

Now that is out of the way, let’s throw out another bit of training methodology. When you have 20 students on the line, at night, why are you having them do the majority of their shooting all at the same time? It serves no purpose other than to check a box, and is a completely artificial environment, that the instructor allowed to happen. The better way to prepare them for the situations they are morally certain to be involved in is this: tell them the task they are expected to complete, then tell them that when they get a tap on the shoulder they are to execute that task, and you will have them shoot one at a time. That is a completely different environmental situation with completely feedback than having them all shoot at once. Once the line has done this, have them now do it again, but when the first student illuminates his target, the student to his left also illuminates and engages his. After everyone has done this, have it skip a student. So, 1 and 3 shoot, then 2 and 4, and then…… Then have one illuminate and not shoot, and another shoot off the illumination of his partner. Want to add an even more relevant dynamic? Use a visual stimulate to start the task, specifically a laser on the target. Doing it the right way doesn’t take that much longer, and it is much more valuable to your students.

Side note on lasers. Red for non-deadly, and green for deadly. What is a common non-deadly device carried by law enforcement? Taser. And, what does Taser have? A red laser. Think it could be a problem using a red laser as a visual stimulus to have an officer shoot? I do. In fact I remember years ago at a chaotic scene, where the situation was tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving. I had a G19 with a X400 Light/Laser combo, when most had never heard or seen such a thing. It was dark, in one of those places that officers are dispatched to, that have no ambient light, and there were several agencies that had responded. An officer had seen my laser activated, and assumed I had a taser out. He drew his gun, believing he needed to provide deadly cover. I was able to hear the distinctive draw from that particular holster, and had enough presence of mind to tell him I already had a gun out, and to get his Taser. This caused some confusion, and could have been very bad, but turned out ok – that time. That was when I made the policy of deadly force tools having a green laser, if they had one at all.

What about the plain clothes, whatever unit, officer that shows up with the slick open top kydex holster? As I have ranted before, if there is any chance (no matter how remote) you will interact with the public while on duty, you need a retention holster, handcuffs, and a non-deadly option. So, that holster may look cool, and it may be fast, but it’s only a false sense of security and a liability. At least use a single level of active retention. If you carry the same gun off duty, an open top passive retention holster is fine. You can get one to carry a WML pretty easily, so you don’t have to take the light on and off. But, it you insist on not having the light on the gun while you are off duty, then either carry a different gun or go through the trouble of taking the light off. It is a simple proposition. Now, I will get the screams of you shouldn’t handle the weapon unnecessarily, or I don’t want to unload and load the gun to take the light off. Ok, fine. Get a different gun to carry off duty, or find an off-duty holster that is comfortable and secure to carry your duty gun with WML on it. No need to make this so complicated. Live your life, and quit obsessing over things with simple solutions.  

In current times, it is negligent and dangerous to not use a weapon mounted light, pistol mounted optic, and security holster; IF they are available to the officer. Our personal feelings must be set aside for what is known and proven to be a better method. I can absolutely, repeatedly show that (with proper and solid training) an officer is more effective when they are equipped with a weapon mounted light and optic. There is a newish retention holster on the market that unseats and beats the long-held king of the roost, and is better in every single way. Combine it with the WML, PMO, and the right training, and you will see highly impressive results. Results that are achieved in a more compressed time frame than is possible with older equipment. Open your mind to the new options, pressure test them, think outside the box, train realistically, impart knowledge in a manner that strives to better your students, and then have faith – you may come through the other side without getting snake bit.