No Shot In The Dark

Flashlights Are Smaller and Brighter Than Ever Before, So There’s No Problem Finding a Good One to Carry.
 

- Steven Paul Barlow

Members of my family won’t be surprised that I’m writing about flashlights for this month’s everyday-carry column. In their opinion, I am obsessed with flashlights.

May be I am, but it’s understandable. In nearly 28 years as a police officer, with a good portion of that time working night shifts, it’s safe to say I used flashlights more than any other piece of gear— more than the handcuffs, more than the radio, more than the gun.

There might have been times when I’ve been metaphorically in the dark, but rarely am I ever literally in the dark. I always have a flashlight on me, even in the daytime. The job taught me that you might have to see into dark places—closets, basements of vacant buildings, hidden compartments of motor vehicles—at any time.

Now, as a civilian, my tactical applications for a light might be fewer, but everyday carry is about readiness. Also, unlike some other everyday-carry gear, a flashlight is going to have many uses beyond self-defense applications.

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