Tactical Lights: A Firearm Accessory for Home Defense?

Every night, somewhere in this country, a police SWAT team kicks down a door and rushes in to arrest dangerous perpetrators. They are dressed in black, clad in bulletproof vests and helmets, and they are carrying submachine guns, shotguns, and pistols equipped with tactical lights. Tactical lights are flashlights that attach to firearms via an accessory rail (usually either a Picatinny rail or a universal accessory rail). Since they are mounted right beneath the gun barrel, tactical lights shine whereever the firearm is pointed. For law enforcement officers, lights such as the Insight Technology SSL-1 Tactical Light illuminate suspects and ensure that officers can see a suspect's movements. For special police units entering buildings filled with criminals, tactical lights are a great idea.

Are tactical lights a good idea for a homeowners who wishes to defend his life, his family, and his property? If a homeowner hears a loud noise in the dead of night, he might want to grab a modern firearm and investigate. He could lock and load, activate his tactical light, and then sweep through his house like a trained professional. The tactical light will allow the homeowner to see everything he aims his firearm at in this time of supreme stress. A tactical light will allow the homeowner to see whatever he might shoot. Of course, the homeowner will have one major problem. By using the tactical light to illuminate things within his own house, the homeowner will be violating a fundamental rule of gun safety. The muzzle of a firearm should always be pointed in a safe direction.

According to the National Rifle Association (NRA), the number one rule of gun safety is "ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction." NRA educators stress this is the most fundamental rule in handling firearms. According to the NRA, "a safe direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if it were to go off it would not cause injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle or front end of the barrel is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances."