Originally Posted by
SoCalDep
I had a very hard time watching that video. I have searched with a WML. In the right situation I will continue to search with a WML and I won’t feel bad about it. We had some in depth discussions about it at work and what I think the video misses as well as some in this discussion is that the weapon-light is not the issue. The gun is the issue.
There is a right time and a wrong time to have the gun out of the holster. From my law enforcement perspective, if I’m using a hand-held light in a “searching” capacity, the pistol should be in the holster. If I have the pistol out of the holster, then 1) there needs to be a damn good reason and 2) I need to minimize distraction from both the problem (tactics) and the proper manipulation and orientation of the pistol (things like trigger discipline, muzzle and situational awareness, etc.).
Unless one trains a lot (and law enforcement firearm instructors are constantly exposed to people who don’t), attempting to manipulate different tools in each hand is extremely difficult. Neither will be used as effectively as if it was the sole tool being used. The issue is exacerbated when the two tools need to be manipulated at the same time as would be the case when searching with a light independent of the pistol, then bringing the pistol to bear while at the same time illuminating the threat. This is seen over and over in body-cam videos and in our training. I’ve been talking about it since well before body-cams on YouTube became common-place as now. Very frequently the light is oriented down as the person moves to acquire the two-hand grip they most commonly train. Even if oriented to the front, I see people all the time illluminating the target, then having to orient the pistol to find the sights, which moves the light off the target, and this fun game often gets repeated several times, or they just shoot because they think they are supposed to and they often miss. We see in training all the time that less-practiced individuals shooting with a hand-held light perform poorly compared to those using a WML, and we quantified this with a study that showed this very clearly.
It’s also not just about having the light oriented with the pistol. A hand-held light technique such as the neck/temple/eye index or Harries carries the same legal and moral implications as the use of WML, and I’d argue that techniques such as the FBI or modified FBI are worse due to the complexity of maintaining consistent orientation of the pistol and light under stress and while having to think through problems. So what happens when we have the pistol out of the holster but oriented somewhere else so that the light can be used to search without covering with the muzzle? I find this an extremely dangerous tactic since we have now separated tools and our attention is in a different place than the pistol. Now we are significantly more susceptible to trigger finger issues and muzzling things and areas we don’t want because our attention is divided. I don’t advocate searching with a hand-held flashlight and having a pistol in hand unless one is using an integrated technique (ie: Harries or other techniques), and for this there needs to be some context just as there would be with searching with a WML.
In many of the examples cited in the video and in discussions, the presence of the firearm would have been improper whether in low light or in bright daylight conditions, and whether used with a WML or simply in hand while searching with a flashlight. The WMLs purpose is to facilitate light when using the gun. If we shouldn’t be using the gun we shouldn’t be using the WML. If we don’t have other means of illumination and resort to using the gun then we have simply failed to be responsible. Sometimes you can’t fix stupid and sometimes we don’t provide the best context in training... Speaking of which...
I’ve seen lots of training... from exposure to multiple law enforcement agencies, private organizations and individuals, and been in a lot of “shoothouses” and FoF training. I’ve seen videos from Larry Vickers at his own home and at Gunsite, Clint Smith at Thunder Ranch, Pat Rogers at Alliance, and others and never ever have I seen any of them searching for bad people or targets in those training videos without the pistol being in hand. Is this the way? Is this wrong? Or, as I would argue, is it contextual?
If I’m looking for a lost kid in a house, I’ll be using a hand-held light. If I’m responding to a domestic dispute and trying to find the involved parties I’ll be using a hand-held light. If I’m searching for a suspect who just stabbed his wife 37 times and might be in the house the gun is out. If I wake up to my daughter screaming “get off me!!!!... Dad HELP ME!!!” You can damn well bet the gun will be out. If the gun is out I will be using a WML because it allows better manipulation and attention to the task compared to a hand-held light.
If a person can’t figure out the differences in those situations the WML is not the problem. They probably shouldn’t have a gun.
This brings up a tactical consideration for the homeowner who hears a bump in the night. What does one do when moving through the house at 2am in underwear “investigating” a sound? If one doesn’t have a method to secure the handgun (ie: holster) then it has to be in hand, creating that distraction issue coupled with the fact the use of the pistol may not be warranted. I would argue that since we’ve identified this as a problem, not fixing it (by having some way to secure the pistol while investigating ) is irresponsible. If I’m going to “investigate”, I’m going to put on pants and a holster. If I’m responding to a known threat (such as the daughter example cited above) I’ll still be searching, but the gun will be out and I’m not worried about a holster. Investigating things outside the house in public areas with a gun in the hand is irresponsible and stupid. To use some of those as examples as to why one should “never” search with a WML is like saying you should never go to the zoo because some kid pissed off a tiger enough that it ate him.
I try not to teach in absolutes and to say “never search with a WML” is to me ridiculous.