Defensive use

[Olumin]

Well I live in Germany where wild bears aren't really an issue, so I didn't think about that. Id say if you live in a rural area with a serious threat of animal attacks, carry a rifle. I doubt any pistol caliber will be reliable against a charging bear. Hell, some rifle rounds aren't. I know those modern plastic 9mm sub compacts & alloy frame revolvers have gotten really small & light & im sure those are great options. I don't have any experience with those so I cant comment on it. But id concede that carrying the most powerful caliber you're comfortable with is a good idea.

As far as flashlights go, some will double as good batons, particularly of they have a lot of weight in the head & a long handle. Those might have the most merit as defensive tools, but for different reasons. Ive found that the hound dog with an md4 would function great in the role.

 

[knucklegary]

I carry a gun, all day, everyday, so I'm not worried about a flashlight.

Chris

No flashlight? At night or in low light, don't you want to ID the perp? Or just shoot first ask questions later (-;

 

[Poppy]

I was not after stories of violent encounters, more of the opposite really, some flashlight companies advertise the use of some of their flashlights in a self defence capacity as if it were a common usage.

I just wondered if anyone actually ever felt that just their use of a flashlight as an illumination tool only ever averted a threat, even if that threat may not have been actually real.

This is a picture of the EDC lights I have carried I guess over the last ten years.
They are all small!

Other threads have shown that most of us who EDC a light it is typically a small light.
Unless one carries one for work.

None of these would be particularly disorienting. I'd use the key in defense first.

Personally I don't run in circles where there is a lot of random violence. If I did I'd probably carry a knife. NJ probably has the strictest laws against guns.

I have been in few fights.
Actually I have avoided more fights, by being secure in my ability to END it, and offering to buy the other idiot a drink. "Hey, bro, we don't want to go there. Let me buy you a drink."

IMO, a flashlight in a fight may be good as a fist loader. Recognise however, that you will be in a fight.

I have never used a light for defense in a fight. I have used it so that I don't get run over!

I hope that @Hooked on Fenix comments above make sense to you and that you consider getting martial arts /self defense training.

 

[knucklegary]

Poppy, nowadays best deterrent is saying "I got Covid and I'll bleed all over you!!" LoL

Glad to see you're feeling better old man 😎

 

[raggie33]

i study less then lethal defense well i research it i mean. the world is so darn crazy now i want to defend my self. but want to do it as peaceful as i can

 

[knucklegary]

Living in a large city sometimes trouble lands in your lap. Best to stay prepared. Or do as I did and move out into the country.
So, far only mass shooting was down in Sacramento just a few weeks ago.. Three really nice looking fellas. CA prison authorities felt one of the shooters was such a model prisoner, and totally misunderstood by the judge who sentenced him. So the parole board cut him loose early to go shoot innocent people at a night club venue

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

i study less then lethal defense well i research it i mean. the world is so darn crazy now i want to defend my self. but want to do it as peaceful as i can

Books don't fight back. You need experience sparring other people in a controlled environment with expert instruction, so you don't get hurt while learning how to effectively defend yourself, without hurting your sparring partner. A lot of self defense has to do with training your body to react a certain way so when a punch comes at your face, you block it and counter attack without thinking about it. It's called muscle memory. Fights are lost in the split seconds that you had to stop and think about what to do next.

 

[raggie33]

Books don't fight back. You need experience sparring other people in a controlled environment with expert instruction, so you don't get hurt while learning how to effectively defend yourself, without hurting your sparring partner. A lot of self defense has to do with training your body to react a certain way so when a punch comes at your face, you block it and counter attack without thinking about it. It's called muscle memory. Fights are lost in the split seconds that you had to stop and think about what to do next.

im decent at hand to hand

 

[bykfixer]

I got lit up by a cop while making out with a girl in the 1980's and yes the cops light to the eyes was very effective at its intended role.

 

[Trout River]

I carry a gun, all day, everyday, so I'm not worried about a flashlight.

Chris

Me too. If I am going out at night and want a small light I take the E2XT or E2XTD Malkoff.

When I was about 20 years old I used a 500 lumen SF M6 on a drunk. It did not work I strobed it, kept it on solid. He just followed me around my truck 2 times. That was enough for me. I tossed the light in someone's yard and went hands on much easier. It was my friend who's girlfriend was hitting on me so I kept him conscious and walked a few blocks back home.

 

[Monocrom]

i study less then lethal defense well i research it i mean. the world is so darn crazy now i want to defend my self. but want to do it as peaceful as i can

Sadly, no such thing as being able to do that. As an instructor, when you teach self-defense to new students, open by telling them you'll teach them how to defend themselves without having to hurt their attacker. Watch for the ones who breath a sigh of relief. Those who do, politely let them know that they have way the wrong mentality. Then explain to them the harsh reality of WHY, in great detail. At the end, you ask them if they're still willing to learn, or if they'd like to leave; now would be the best time.

 

[fulee9999]

Tactical flashlights are either high only or high first as so you could use them to temporarily blind someone.

Has anyone here ever deliberately shone their light in someone's face, for what reason and did it achieve the outcome you were hoping for?

deliberately? no. But ooh boy, the amount of stoners and copulating couples I accidentally scared away when walking my dog at night with a flashlight in hand....

 

[pnwoutdoors]

That is silly, no one who attacks you, will let you use a flashlight on them, in any way, unless ...

I've been approached on several occasions by somebody while I'm out walking, or at a nearby park. Holding the flashlight in a pocket, it's trivially simple to bring it to bear on a person who just appeared.

That said, you're correct that, in an ambush situation where surprise is quite literally total, there can be little to no time to do much of anything, let alone root around in the pockets.

Still, if cautious, aware of surroundings, and prepared to rapidly deploy a light, knife/gun or whatever, a good percentage of such approaches are entirely possible to deal with.

The devil's in the details of a particular encounter, of course.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

No flashlight? At night or in low light, don't you want to ID the perp? Or just shoot first ask questions later (-;

I actually do carry two flashlights and two SAKs on me at all times, but I don't rely on them for my personal safety!

Chris

 

[knucklegary]

Roger that Chris.. I was just being facetious

 

[Vimespolly]

Back when I was going a lot of security work I used handheld lights a lot

When guarding a building overnight lighting someone up from a football field away usually convinced them to go away and ment I had to do less paper work

When bouncing one time we had about 20 dudes on each side squaring up to fight. Everyone got 1500 lumens to the eyes and a few seconds of blinking and trying to see again in a dark club they started reconsidering whether they wanted to fight or not plus the rest of my team turning up helped that as well but my light brought the seconds needed for the cavalry to be arrive.