Navy seal recommends a flashlight for defense against movie theater shooting

Interesting read, not one I totally agree with, but I thought might be an article of interest for cpf


http://www.theblaze.com/stories/for...yourself-in-a-shooting-like-that-in-colorado/

You might need a big dog light, ala Olight SR51 or better, so you can find the actual perpetrators not just some died hair drugged up patsy.

Interesting, and I can see the concept working. But realistically, if I'm sitting in a large theater (like the ones in my area where I usually go) and I'm a good 40-50 yards away from the front row where a shooter might be, do you think my Klarus XT11 from that distance would make an impact on a shooter when there's already light in his face from the projector?

IMO, I would assume it would make you more of a possible target for the gunman to shoot at, or at least towards your general direction. But then again, I haven't tried giving my XT11 to my friend an asking him to go back 40-50 yards from me at night and hit me with the light, so I can't say if or how it would really affect me or others.

I would recommend 4sevens' maelstrom XM18 on high mode


See Rule #3 Do not Hot Link images. Please host on an image site, Imageshack or similar and repost – Thanks Norm

I recommend something like a thru-nite scorpionV2 with the turbo head and a Glock 40!

Some may laugh, but I think one of those flood-to-throw zoom flashlights would do more to temporarily blind/distract the perp than most ordinary EDC non-zoom types. I admit I use mine sometimes to signal my displeasure to other drivers whenever I get a mild case of road rage!

metalophile said:

I admit I use mine sometimes to signal my displeasure to other drivers whenever I get a mild case of road rage!

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get out my way. LOL

SDM44 said:

Interesting, and I can see the concept working. But realistically, if I'm sitting in a large theater (like the ones in my area where I usually go) and I'm a good 40-50 yards away from the front row where a shooter might be, do you think my Klarus XT11 from that distance would make an impact on a shooter when there's already light in his face from the projector?

IMO, I would assume it would make you more of a possible target for the gunman to shoot at, or at least towards your general direction. But then again, I haven't tried giving my XT11 to my friend an asking him to go back 40-50 yards from me at night and hit me with the light, so I can't say if or how it would really affect me or others.

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If you were truly 40-50 yards away then I would agree that drawing attention to your self would be a bad idea. If you were looking for a second of "disorientation" from a flashlight it would be after you fear that you are a target or just before you engage the threat.

metalophile said:

Some may laugh, but I think one of those flood-to-throw zoom flashlights would do more to temporarily blind/distract the perp than most ordinary EDC non-zoom types. I admit I use mine sometimes to signal my displeasure to other drivers whenever I get a mild case of road rage!

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Point a blue tinted light with strobe in their general driection, and they will pull over

I'd think that pointing a light in his direction is more likely to get a bunch of bullets sprayed in your direction. He doesn't need to be able to see well to point his gun in the direction of your light and start spraying.

jorn said:

Point a blue tinted light with strobe in their general driection, and they will pull over

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...later on, as you're being arrested for impersonating a police officer...

Snareman said:

I'd think that pointing a light in his direction is more likely to get a bunch of bullets sprayed in your direction. He doesn't need to be able to see well to point his gun in the direction of your light and start spraying.

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Yeah. I tend to think, if you want to move tactically against an aggressor, doing so in the dark will be more effective because they can't prepare for your arrival by killing you in mid-charge.

Seriously, the speculation about tactical use of flashlights needs to stop, permanently. The topic has been beaten to death so many times it isn't even mildly entertaining anymore. Flashlights have two possible tactical uses: lighting your own path and momentarily blinding the target. If that extra 1 second doesn't give you enough time to escape or eliminate the threat, it will do no good whatsoever. Using a flashlight as a deterrent might work via the "hitchhiker's towel" effect, but someone who is already shooting at you is not going to be intimidated by the possibility that you might have a weapon as well as a flashlight.

... when being near enough ANY light could have the slightest impact on the shooter,
one IMMEDIATELY had to try to engage him physically
--> but is too far away and blocked by seats or other ppl from having any chance

when You are too near, You are dead / heavily hurt, when far enough away and near an exit and reacting quickly, You survive
no matter what any experts theorize.


poor fellas there

I think his suggestion is being taken out of context... He's saying it is a good tool to have, but not necessarily says it would've stopped the shooting.

In my opinion, unless I had a gun, I wouldn't have been pointing a flashlight at the shooter. I can see if you're in the first few rows and want to "blip" the shooter to temporarily disorient and blind so you could run, but anything further back than a few feet would only make you a target.

This same guy was on Fox News earlier today with Megyn Kelly.

Not only did he show off a SureFire P2X-B Fury to the camera, but he talked briefly about its 500 lumen output, and even flashed it at the camera...

cland72 said:

I think his suggestion is being taken out of context... He's saying it is a good tool to have, but not necessarily says it would've stopped the shooting.

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Absolutly, much like saying if you had a wench you could fix your car... Well you have to know how to use it, and you have to know when not to use it... And lots of times a fool with a wrench has made things worse.

Mikeg23 said:

Absolutly, much like saying if you had a wench you could fix your car... Well you have to know how to use it, and you have to know when not to use it... And lots of times a fool with a wrench has made things worse.

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Like the time I saw an employee at Iffy Lube tightening the hollow aluminum oil pan drain plug on my VW by banging on the wrench with a hammer.

But yes, I agree a flashlight is a good tool to have...as long as you don't play Glock/Paper/Scissors with it, because Glock beats everything.

fyrstormer said:

Like the time I saw an employee at Iffy Lube tightening the hollow aluminum oil pan drain plug on my VW by banging on the wrench with a hammer.

But yes, I agree a flashlight is a good tool to have...as long as you don't play Glock/Paper/Scissors with it, because Glock beats everything.

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Carry permit, training, hard *** attitude, and less sheeple would be dead. Keeping this tragedy in perspective, about 14 people died in a highway accident last weekend in Texas. Dead is dead, it doesn't matter why...and a light is not enough by itself.

Paladin

Mikeg23 said:

Absolutly, much like saying if you had a wench you could fix your car... Well you have to know how to use it, and you have to know when not to use it... And lots of times a fool with a wrench has made things worse.

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There wasn't much that would have made that situation worse ... Its nice to speak in a condescending tone about how "doing something" might have made the situation worse, but I disagree and think it was already as bad as it could possibly get.

That means a CCW holder could have been justified in taking a shot even in a dynamic environment where he has potential to hurt/kill another innocent. Police engage criminals in situations all the time that aren't cut and dry, because they believe that if they DO NOT engage, that more harm will be done than if they DO ATTEMPT to engage.

If someone in the first or second row had a good light and knife on him, it was possible he could have flashed the guy and lunged at his throat. Yes its conjecture.

Just as likely, is someone near the back who could see what was unfolding and had a firearm on him, could have fired a few "risky" shots at the guy and taken him out after only two or three deaths.

I think doing nothing--because it might be risky--is the bureaucratic solution and not the one that made any of our countries great or inspired any pride.

Imagine this, if the CPF's members all went out for movie together, sudden this guy came in with the gun and stuff... What will happen? Everybody draw out their 700+ lumens stuff and some draw out a Tiny monster or RRT3 like me.. turn all on lights on together and beam it at the guy, I am sure that will be the best thing on news ever. One of us NEED to have the wicked torch too, and shove it up his back as a punishment, make a youtube vid, and that is why you need a TORCH and flashlight together. The heat generated from the 4000 lumens torch is a must in this situation.

That will be the best news ever and all flashlights vendors will get mega rich in a month, haha!