I keep a flashlight for self defense. It stays in my pocket all the time, day and night. When I sleep I keep my pants, a shirt, and a pair of shoes next to my bed. In my pants is my normal carry stuff, my rifle and pistol are close. If something goes bump in the night or a fire happens I can easily throw on my clothes, grab my phone off the nightstand, and take care of whatever I need to.
I thought is was a good plan and has worked in the past for things that go bump in the night. A couple nights ago my two-year old showed me the flaw in my plan. He is almost three now and has been sneaking out of his bed and into our bedroom to wake us up in the morning. My wife and I don’t like getting out of bed before seven. I’ve had enough “up in the morning before the rising sun,” and my wife likes her beauty sleep.
So a couple nights ago I awoke hearing our bedroom door open in the middle of the night. Groggy I looked over and the door was open, we always close it when we sleep. It was still completely dark and I couldn’t see anything. I was rolling out of bed trying to find my pants that had my light when there was a movement near the door. I had to grab my cell phone and use it as a light to find my kid hiding behind my desk.
If it hadn’t been my kid, I would have been holding my cell phone up for protection. So now my flashlight comes out of my pocket and goes on the nightstand next to my bed. I would like to keep my gun there, but I have a two-year old that likes to sneak into my room when I sleep.
I carry the older version of a Surefire LX2 LumaMax. They are great lights and I’ve had mine since 2006. I only bought this one because I lost my last Surefire light. I have yet to be able to break a Surefire. I’ve tried by dropping it, stepping on it, throwing it, swimming with it, and using it as a hammer. They are expensive, but only once.
I think everyone should carry a quality light with them at all times as a self defense tool. It can be used as a striking weapon, and flashed into someone’s eyes to disorient them. So far, using a light to flash into someone eyes isn’t considered a use of force so you can use it often.
Stay Safe,
Ben