What is your go-to home defense weapon?

DAVE_M · Oct 10, 2019

AustinBR said:
It's also contingent on the power being on and the switch being accessible (near you). Room lighting also lights you up moreso than a WML would.

I would have one, but as I mentioned before, I haven't trained with one as much as I have with a handheld light. Down the line, this may be an option.

It's worth watching:

Emperor · Oct 10, 2019

AustinBR said:
I think the key things here are that you practice, regularly, and have a system in place that is tested.

Do you have any ambient lighting in your house that will help you identify things or people that are out of place?

I have a few red nightlights strategically placed throughout my place that don't mess with my night vision much, look cool, and make it really difficult to hide places. Oh, and they keep me from stubbing my toes, which is probably the biggest selling point aside from looking cool

There is just enough light from the very brightly lit led floods in my driveway and the low voltage spots on the palm trees in the back to make it around without tripping on myself. Surprisingly, the green indicator lights on the smoke detectors provides a little too in the rooms where there is no carry over light from outside.

I will confess, that even though I couldn't give a rat's ass how much electricity I use, and I am the ultimate consumer; there are no lights on when I turn off the boob tube for the night.

If you're coming in on me at night, you are coming in blind!

Bangswitch · Oct 10, 2019

DAVE_M said:
That's sound advice.

Regardless of which firearm you choose for home defense, a weapon mounted light wouldn't be such a bad idea. It's rather amazing how many people believe that turning on the room lighting is a good idea and that they will have time to do so.

Agreed lights off may be a disadvantage to the homeowner but 9 out of 10 times it’s going to be a bigger disadvantage to those intruding into a home for the first time. Weapon of mass light or not (sorry wanted to try it out) the darkness in general is better for the homeowner/renter.

AustinBR · Oct 10, 2019

DAVE_M said:
It's worth watching:

Added to my 'Watch Later' list on YouTube.

I like WMLs and have nothing against them, I just refuse to carry or rely on something until I have extensively trained with it. I 100% agree that they have value and worth - I just don't have enough time invested.

My next EDC will likely have a WML and will also likely be the bump in the night gun, though I am not sure about that just yet.

thperez1972 · Oct 10, 2019

DAVE_M said:
That's sound advice.

Regardless of which firearm you choose for home defense, a weapon mounted light wouldn't be such a bad idea. It's rather amazing how many people believe that turning on the room lighting is a good idea and that they will have time to do so.

I have some lights in most rooms that are smart lights. I can just tell Alexa to turn them on. Problem solved.

DAVE_M · Oct 10, 2019

Bangswitch said:
Agreed lights off may be a disadvantage to the homeowner but 9 out of 10 times it’s going to be a bigger disadvantage to those intruding into a home for the first time. Weapon of mass light or not (sorry wanted to try it out) the darkness in general is better for the homeowner/renter.

Lights are there to PID a potential threat.

While Louisiana does not have a duty to retreat, it may not bode well to blindly shoot someone.

DAVE_M · Oct 10, 2019

AustinBR said:
Added to my 'Watch Later' list on YouTube.

I like WMLs and have nothing against them, I just refuse to carry or rely on something until I have extensively trained with it. I 100% agree that they have value and worth - I just don't have enough time invested.

My next EDC will likely have a WML and will also likely be the bump in the night gun, though I am not sure about that just yet.

Considering the options available in 2019 (soon to be 2020), there is almost no reason not have a WML on a pistol.

thperez1972 said:
I have some light in most rooms that are smart lights. I can just tell Alexa to turn them on. Problem solved.

I have a good "Alexa: Intruder Alert" meme, but it has language that's NSFW.

AustinBR · Oct 10, 2019

Bangswitch said:
Agreed lights off may be a disadvantage to the homeowner but 9 out of 10 times it’s going to be a bigger disadvantage to those intruding into a home for the first time. Weapon of mass light or not (sorry wanted to try it out) the darkness in general is better for the homeowner/renter.

You can't shoot what you can't see.

Also, shooting the neighbor's drunk son who stumbled into the wrong house may be legal, but definitely isn't right. A light (or lighting) allows you to differentiate between someone who made a dumb mistake and someone who is intentionally breaking in to cause harm.

Another scenario that we covered is what happens if you live near someone with an autistic child, teenager, or even adult who is having an episode and somehow breaks in at night because they just got the houses confused?

These things happen, especially if you live in neighborhoods where houses were built/designed with similar looks.

Bangswitch · Oct 10, 2019

DAVE_M said:
Lights are there to PID a potential threat.

While Louisiana does not have a duty to retreat, it may not bode well to blindly shoot someone.

I can agree with that.

I think the part that may not have be clear is if you don’t have a wml or a handheld available it’s still better you use the darkness in you favor.

AustinBR · Oct 10, 2019

Bangswitch said:
I can agree with that.

I think the part that may not have be clear is if you don’t have a wml or a handheld available it’s still better you use the darkness in you favor.

I don't think we disagree. Darkness is definitely something that can be used in your favor...but at the same time, it's imperative to identify the 'threat' before firing rounds off. Bullets cannot be taken back once fired.

DAVE_M · Oct 10, 2019

Bangswitch said:
I can agree with that.

I think the part that may not have be clear is if you don’t have a wml or a handheld available it’s still better you use the darkness in you favor.

I avoid what if scenarios and do my best to ensure I have what I need. Redundancy can prevent being without something important.

Emperor · Oct 10, 2019

I would be interested in hearing some firsthand accounts (of the actual events of the invasion), from victims of home invasions. I believe we all think we kind of know how it might go down, but I am sure there were a lot of other moving parts in the real deal.

A lot of how it would play out depends on each individual's layout in their homes; and/or their security prowess. Can your door be kicked in with one move, or is it sturdy enough to allow you time to be waiting for them to make it through? Do you leave windows unlocked? Heaven forbid, doors? Reaction time is the biggest factor to any of this weapons choice mattering at all.

AustinBR · Oct 10, 2019

DAVE_M said:
I avoid what if scenarios and do my best to ensure I have what I need. Redundancy can prevent being without something important.

This ^^

Every single firearm I own has a quality 800+ lumen light near it, as well as extra ammunition that is set up in a manner where it can be carried without relying on having pockets or being in my hands.

DAVE_M · Oct 10, 2019

Emperor said:
I would be interested in hearing some firsthand accounts (of the actual events of the invasion), from victims of home invasions. I believe we all think we kind of know how it might go down, but I am sure there were a lot of other moving parts in the real deal.

A lot of how it would play out depends on each individual's layout in their homes; and/or their security prowess. Can your door be kicked in with one move, or is it sturdy enough to allow you time to be waiting for them to make it through? Do you leave windows unlocked? Heaven forbid, doors? Reaction time is the biggest factor to any of this weapons choice mattering at all.

It's redundant, but redundancy is important.

Bangswitch · Oct 10, 2019

AustinBR said:
I don't think we disagree. Darkness is definitely something that can be used in your favor...but at the same time, it's imperative to identify the 'threat' before firing rounds off. Bullets cannot be taken back once fired.

Yeah we agree know your target. Can’t imagine someone legitimately suggesting otherwise.

Bangswitch · Oct 10, 2019

DAVE_M said:
I avoid what if scenarios and do my best to ensure I have what I need. Redundancy can prevent being without something important.

Cant disagree with that either.

I know you don’t like to what if but it would be interesting to see when everyone decides to cut their wml or handheld.

For me in my house, I have enough wall socket night lights to move about in the dark so my handheld (because I don’t have a wml on my carry setup) wouldn’t come on unless absolutely necessary. Powers out, flashlight would be on.

DAVE_M · Oct 10, 2019

Bangswitch said:
Cant disagree with that either.

I know you don’t like to what if but it would be interesting to see when everyone decides to cut their wml or handheld.

For me in my house, I have enough wall socket night lights to move about in the dark so my handheld (because I don’t have a wml on my carry setup) wouldn’t come on unless absolutely necessary. Powers out, flashlight would be on.

I would recommend you look into low light training. There are reasons not to rely on room lighting.

AustinBR · Oct 10, 2019

DAVE_M said:
I would recommend you look into low light training. There are reasons not to rely on room lighting.

I second this. Low light training teaches you how to use a flashlight in close quarters.

Spoiler: It's not just walking around with a flashlight on and using it as a big searchlight.

Bangswitch · Oct 10, 2019

DAVE_M said:
I would recommend you look into low light training. There are reasons not to rely on room lighting.

AustinBR said:
I second this. Low light training teaches you how to use a flashlight in close quarters.

Spoiler: It's not just walking around with a flashlight on and using it as a big searchlight.

That's all good and fine, and its never a bad move to get more training, but using ambient light and leaving my light off is my preferred method until there is no other option. What is yours?

DAVE_M · Oct 10, 2019

Bangswitch said:
That's all good and fine, and its never a bad move to get more training, but using ambient light and leaving my light off is my preferred method until there is no other option. What is yours?

Using a weapon light and/or handheld.

Willfully ignoring that there are best practices is foolish. If you arrive at the conclusion that you will inevitably do as you wish regardless of any other proven practices, the onus is on you to demonstrate your chosen practice (to yourself).

I cannot direct room lighting at a potential threat. I also cannot use the room lighting to control that potential threat.

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