There is a lot of talk about having the brightest light possible these days. For the most part, I find it comical and here is why.

Do you even carry a light bro…

Let’s be clear we are talking about self defense scenarios, scenarios where your personal safety is at risk. Due to this risk you may have to employ lethal force from your firearm. To further define this, you will more than likely be carrying concealed. Seems reasonable, so why do I find it comical? We have conducted a dozen of our Concealed Carry Tactics classes this year alone. So much information has been discovered in the process. For instance, the average student does not carry a flashlight. Oh, they might have a flashlight, but they do not carry one with them every day. A very small percentage of students will employ a dedicated weapon mounted light for concealed carry. If they do have a weapon mounted light they have opted not to carry a handheld flashlight.

Que the crazy

Granted, this is a small sampling, but damn it is still very telling. One of the most versatile tools you can carry on a daily basis is a rugged, compact and powerful light. This is the criterion we use to select our lights and we recommend folks follow as well. The real question is how powerful? Que the crazy… I am not going to get wrapped up in the crazy, there is plenty to go around on this, but what I will say is there IS a point of diminishing returns. I don’t care what some folks think, at some point the juice is not worth the squeeze. In this case, the juice is the ability to carry the light consistently; like every damn day.

Look, it’s covered…

I would prefer someone who is carrying concealed have a good light over a spare magazine if forced to choose. I find it far more likely you will use the light versus the spare magazine. The crux of the issue is your ability to conceal your full load out versus just “covering” it all. Too many folks live in a fantasy camp or downplay the importance because they cannot conceal properly. Some will go so far as to dismiss the importance of concealing properly with a hint of bravado. If you are going to carry concealed, the operative word being “concealed”, then do it better…case closed.

The wheels come off fast

Then there is the argument for having a light with ridiculous light output because they need to penetrate six rooms deep as they conduct assaults on some structure. The funny part is many of these folks are the same folks who will fall back to statistics to support their inability to demonstrate true marksmanship. Hitting their target on demand from the extended ranges. They practice almost exclusively at the extreme close ranges creating a house of cards. The irony is so thick you could cut it with your knife you probably do a poor job of concealing as well.

Could of, would of, should of

If you do subscribe to statistics and find yourself at close range, the likelihood of having the time to deploy an uber bright light is a pipe dream. A prime factor for most criminal acts is proximity. The suspect has to be close enough to do harm, threaten to do harm or force you to do something unsafe. Even in the blackest of nights, your ability to observe the gun or knife shoved in your face is probably better than you think. But still some believe it is better to have all those lumens in case they need it to identify a far threat. I’m good with that, maybe you do. Here is another issue few recognize; your ability to accurate identify friend from foe. So, while your light may be ridiculously bright can you actually see the threat and when I say see, I mean be able to articulate in a court under oath you positively identified your threat before you employed lethal force.

Carry a light, carry it all the time and conceal it better.

– Jeff Gonzales
Trident Concepts, LLC

Jeff Gonzales of Trident Concepts, LLC is a decorated and respected U.S. Navy SEAL who has worked in a variety of environments and capacities throughout the globe. He specializes in personal protection tactics and training for armed and unarmed conflicts. His motto is “Concepts that meet reality”. Jeff’s goal is not simply to train you, but to better prepare you for the worst-case scenario.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.

During our classes we ask students how do you train to run fast? At times we get some interesting responses, but the one we are looking for is “run fast”.

The ultimate balance

The balance of speed and accuracy should be everyone’s ultimate shooting goal. The mistake we see most often is when a student wants to put speed over accuracy in the early stages of their development. The basics form your foundation and that foundation will need to be rock solid because at some point you will need to hit the gas. A slow accurate shot is no better than a fast miss. I’m sure we have all heard the expression of not knowing your limits until you push yourself. I couldn’t agree more with that statement, but it is a tad bit more complicated.

Hitting the track

When we talk about pushing the limits a race track is the usual analogy. You hit the straightaways with your hair on fire, but have to negotiate the turns and this is where we find our limits. However, the mistake folks make is thinking they are a race car in the first place. A race car is built from the ground up to handle those high velocities with pinpoint steering. However, the average student is riding a mini-van with little family decals on the back (not that that’s a bad thing). While I can drive it on the race track, it is really not going to go fast and it will definitely not handle those curves well.

The failed road test

That is where the foundation comes into the equation, you have to build it from the ground up. I can get that minivan over 180mph, I just throw it out the back of a cargo plane. Obviously the sudden stop isn’t the best for return trips. Taking the time to ramp up is critical, it is also the most frustrating. There is so much that you have to think about, while it looks easy, shooting is a complex task. Once you have taken the time, put the work in to build up your vehicle you have to take it out on the track and push the limits. You will never know if the new tires or the engine are going to perform to your expectations until you push the limits.

Hit the gas big time

At a certain point in the class, usually once we have covered the fundamentals well enough and students have demonstrated satisfactory performance the next step is to get them to shoot fast. I literally tell them I want you to shoot as fast as you can guarantee the hit. That means every time you are engaging the target you are doing so as fast as your vehicle can handle the curves. Having standards are the only way of knowing if you are pushing your limits, without them you are guessing. Standards for both speed and accuracy. When I see a student fail, it is not because he wasn’t fast enough, it was because he wasn’t accurate enough to meet the standard.

Speed is important, but not at the sacrifice of accuracy, but being accurate needs to be fast enough.

– Jeff Gonzales
Trident Concepts, LLC

Jeff Gonzales of Trident Concepts, LLC is a decorated and respected U.S. Navy SEAL who has worked in a variety of environments and capacities throughout the globe. He specializes in personal protection tactics and training for armed and unarmed conflicts. His motto is “Concepts that meet reality”. Jeff’s goal is not simply to train you, but to better prepare you for the worst-case scenario.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.