Training on the use of weapon lights
Discussing low-light tactics - training on the use of weapon lights.
"Law 4: Know your target and what's behind it." - Col. Jeff Cooper, "Weapon Safety Code" For many years, weapon lights were the norm for special tactics teams and canine units. 's patents, it was thought that only being as mission specific as they were and figuring out your target and what's behind it. "
——Col. Jeff Cooper
"Weapons Safety Code"
For many years, weapon lights were the preserve of special tactics teams and canine units. At the time it was believed that only those with special missions and additional training like them were qualified to use weapon lights. But that has long since changed and I started providing tactical lighting (aka weapons) to law enforcement almost ten years ago. As a weapons instructor, I have assisted in training approximately 140 law enforcement units of various missions to equip and use weapons lights.
According to the FBI crime statistics report, 77 police officers were attacked. The incident occurred in a low-light environment. 68 of the incidents involving police officers were in low-light or no-light conditions, and in one-third of the incidents, low-light factors directly affected the outcome.
In my previous career of teaching weapons light technology for more than a decade, I had heard all the same questions, concerns, and arguments about training from various units throughout the United States. Ultimately I found it simple to use Jeff Cooper's Weapons Safety Code. Effectively outlines the various essentials of tactical lighting training
John Dean "Jeff" Cooper is a former Marine, weapons instructor, author, and noted "Fuck Him to Death." The founder of . He advocates following the following four weapons safety rules:
1. Treat all firearms as if they are loaded, even if they are not loaded.
2. Never. Point the gun where you don't want to destroy.
3. Don't put your finger on the trigger unless you're on target and ready to shoot.
4. Know your target. What's on the front and rear of it.
As weapons instructors or administrators, we cannot allow officers to attach a gun light to their sidearm without proper training. All officers use a weapon light. There are some rules that everyone should understand and follow. Here is an introduction for you to understand and learn:
Confirm your target and surrounding situation
The basic purpose of a gun light is to illuminate and identify threats. , it allows you to quickly get lighting without spending time looking for a flashlight, or use the coaxial beam for rough aiming in any light environment, like "Police! Put your hands up! Verbal warnings such as "may be an effective way to resolve threats without using force.
When using a bright beam to deprive the other party of vision, it is extremely critical to reveal the identity of the police. If the other party only hears " "Hands up" or "Get down on the ground" command, but because you are illuminated by the light and cannot see that you are wearing a uniform, you may think that you are being robbed.
Weapon lights cannot be used for navigation like a flashlight. , searching for evidence, or general lighting. I am often asked by many units: “What is your department’s policy on the use of weapons lights? "I usually answer: "It's the same as your policy. "I would explain that every department will have rules against unnecessarily drawing a gun, and any situation in which a gun is allowed to be drawn is a situation where the weapon light can be used. For example, when you have reason to believe there is a deadly threat around you, You can use your weapon light as long as you are eligible to draw.
Don't put your finger on the trigger when you're not ready to shoot.
I like to teach a "big shot." "Thumb principle" means that the pistol light can only be operated with the thumb of the off-hand, and the trigger finger is used to control the trigger. For right-handed shooters, the thumb is used to assist in switching the safety, releasing the magazine, Sleeve or hang-up operations.
I'm not that big a fan of pressure-controlled switches for pistol lights because I realize they change the way the pistol is held and can accidentally turn on when you want to keep it dark. Pressure switches do have some advantages, such as being easier to operate with one hand. When the off-hand thumb is occupied by other tasks, the main finger can also be used as an emergency method to control the gun light, but special attention must be paid to the details. but! Never use your trigger finger to control a gun light.
After identifying the shooting target, the gun light should be set to constant light mode to allow the shooter to focus on holding the weapon, rather than busy pressing the gun light switch to maintain lighting. I found it quite difficult to keep the gun light on while shooting, and the light mode is only recommended for short-term guidance or signaling.
Never point your gun at a place you don't want to destroy.
This is often referred to as the "laser principle" (imagine that the muzzle of your gun will emit a high-energy laser and cut off everything in its path). This one is very important. Law enforcement officers need to learn to use edge light spots instead of the central "hot spot" light spot for search and identification, which goes against the "flashlight pointing" habit we have developed since childhood. But what you need to understand is that the gun light beam is coaxial with the muzzle pointing, which means that the position of the central light spot is extremely close to the point where the bullet will hit, so close that you can use the central spot to assist the target within 7 feet. Aim and shoot.
But you don’t want or need to point weapons at others just for identification. Most manufacturers of pistol lights allow you to illuminate your hands with an edge spot while pointing the center spot at the opponent's feet at any distance.
Treat all firearms as if they are loaded
All weapon light disassembly and assembly work, such as cleaning and battery replacement, must be carried out after confirming that the weapon is unloaded and empty. No one would disassemble and inspect a firearm while it is loaded, and no one should disassemble or clean a weapon light on a loaded firearm. Be sure to unload the magazine, hang up the machine when empty, and carefully inspect the gun to ensure it is empty.
You need to use a holster that ensures that the pistol can be carried and inserted normally after the gun light is installed. This is the key to ensuring the safety and speed of weapon use. After all, in actual combat, there is no time to prepare the weapon. Weapons safety disassembly and assembly of gun lights.
Other Considerations: In addition to the Jeff Cooper Code, there are some important considerations when training in the use of weapons lights in the police field.
The first thing is to learn to use up the demand as much as possible to end the battle smoothly. If darkness provides a tactical advantage at this time, extinguish the lights. But when you are facing a suspect lying on the ground, and the suspect is likely to have a weapon or be very close to it, you need constant lighting to ensure that you can see the opponent's every move clearly.
I can always hear many shooting instructors shouting to their trainees, "Turn off the lights!" negative effects. Imagine that in actual combat, a suspect is shot to the ground but is still a threat. At this time, the law enforcement officer cannot see clearly that the suspect is still holding a gun due to the loss of lighting, just because he was told in the certification course to "shoot twice quickly and extinguish it." Gun light, holster”, what happens next?
Weapon lights do have many advantages, but always remember that they are not the only option. The use of weapon lights does not completely eliminate the need for flashlights. Techniques such as Harris, Chapman, Rogers, and my favorite, the high neck grip, are still widely taught, and many times just using a flashlight is enough to cope with the situation. More importantly, a flashlight saves you from embarrassment if your weapon light breaks.
You also need to practice more when switching between flashlight and weapon light. Once you get into a gunfight, you'll want to switch to a two-handed grip as quickly as possible because this is the most comfortable and reliable weapon grip we train on. But holding a flashlight in one hand is relatively less reliable.
Also remember that bright flashlights can interrupt the OODA (observation-confirmation-decision-action) cycle of the person being illuminated, and use this to your advantage. Even in the daytime, strong light or flash of more than 500 lumens can form glare interference to hide oneself, which can also be called "one-click cover".
This kind of cover won't take a bullet for you, but it's much better than having no cover in front of your opponent.
In order to adapt to the conscious use of weapon lights in various light environments, you can take out the battery during daytime shooting practice, but make a habit of pressing the weapon light switch to The habit of always lighting up or flashing.