Bright light as a personal defence tool
Did someone forget to mention... it’s probably going to be dark!
Going over the case studies that we have on file is a stark reminder of just how many violent attacks occur AFTER DARK. There is, of course, a clear reason for this. We know that an attacker’s number one weapon during any attack is the element of surprise. The greatest single factor contributing to the submission of the victim (which is what the attacker is aiming for) is the shock value of a sudden, unforeseen attack. Attackers therefore like to wait for, or to sneak up, on their victims - unnoticed until the very last instant. It is easier to achieve this at night, using the cover of darkness.
Without doubt, one of the key factors involved in avoiding and surviving violent attacks is the ability of the intended victim to spot the attack developing early enough to allow themselves the vital seconds necessary to react correctly. The fact is that attackers don’t beam themselves down behind their intended victims. They either have to cover ground in order to reach the victim (i.e. run towards you) or they have to hide and ‘jump you’ when you move past their position. You can substantially reduce your chances of becoming a victim simply by keeping your head up and being consciously aware at potential danger times.
So, you’re determined not to become a statistic, and have made a conscious decision to keep your head up at dangerous times. Brilliant, that will dramatically increase your chances of avoiding violent attacks... during the day! The problem is that as human beings we have poor night vision. This is further aggravated by the fact that you will often have just walked out of a well-lit building into a dark driveway or parking lot, meaning that your eyes are poorly adjusted to the new, dark environment. Your attacker(s), on the other hand, have most likely been waiting for you in the dark long enough for their eyes to have adjusted to the low light conditions. You are now at a distinct disadvantage.
The solution seems simple. You need to carry a light source so that you can quickly illuminate those dark corners or any strange silhouette that is approaching you, uninvited. The reality is, however, that most people don’t carry a torch that produces any meaningful light, on a daily basis, because decent torches tend to be heavy and cumbersome. I have yet to come across a person on one of my seminars that whips a 1.5kg D-cell torch out of their bag and professes to carry it with them whenever they are out at night!
Enter SureFire...
As it turns out the world’s elite Special Forces operatives and SWAT team members need ultra-bright, lightweight tactical lights. At the same time, these guys don’t need any bulky equipment that can snag on windows, doorframes or other obstacles, while searching for terrorists in dark caves or raiding dangerous criminals at night. So their lights have to be compact.
For more than two decades an American company called SureFire has been focused on one very specific goal: Producing extremely bright, compact flashlights for use by military and law enforcement personnel as well as civilians in a personal defence role. Using cutting-edge technology, SureFire has managed to build the worlds brightest, compact personal lights. In fact, they manufacture palm-size lights that produce four times the brightness of a much larger two D-cell torch, while being small and light enough to drop into a pocket. No kidding, some of these lights weigh in at just 90 grams! That’s half the weight of a compact cellphone! As a result, SureFire tactical flashlights have literally taken the military, law-enforcement and emergency services communities, worldwide, by storm.
Uh...that’s interesting...but I’m not a Navy SEAL...
Um...Yes... us neither, but give us a minute here, we're getting to the point. It didn’t take long for cops to start reporting back that the light produced by their SureFire’s was so much more powerful than a normal torch that simply blasting a would-be criminal in the face, at night, would often be enough to de-escalate the situation without the need for more serious tactics. And so, an entirely new concept was born... the use of bright light, from a hand-held device, as a force option. This concept has subsequently been developed to a point where police officers, military operatives and thousands of civilians are now regularly being schooled in the use of SureFire flashlights as non-lethal personal defence tools.
It works like this. Even though we all love to refer to violent criminals as “animals”, the fact is that they’re actually human beings just like the rest of us. Not in the touchy-feely sense, but in the sense that they have sensitive diurnal vision that is highly susceptible to temporary blindness when subjected to very bright light. Particularly at night. Add to this the fact that nothing clicks an attacker’s mindset out of attack mode as fast as temporarily robbing him of his vision and you have the makings of a very interesting non-lethal personal-defence option.
In other words, shine a SureFire in a would-be attacker’s eyes at night and he’s pretty much out of the fight. At least until he recovers his eyesight, by which time you should have reacted and used this window of opportunity to have left...in a hurry! Police officers have long utilised the concept of working behind a “wall of light” when they perform night-time car stops. They do this by shining their car’s headlights in the direction of the stopped vehicle to create a blinding shield of light that they can operate behind, unseen, until the scenario is assessed as being safe. SureFire’s high-intensity personal lights offer you that same advantage in a lightweight, palm-size device.
The perfect initial personal-defence option at night...
Apart from temporarily blinding your would-be attacker, a SureFire also allows you to assess clearly the threat level that you are facing. The typical human reaction to suddenly having an extremely bright light shone in your eyes at night is instinctively to bring your hands up in front of your face. As mentioned before, attackers are human too and when they do this you can clearly see any weapons in their hands. You, on the other hand, could be escaping or reaching for something higher up on the force continuum such as a pepper spray or firearm, should the situation require you to do so. The great thing is that your assailant can’t see what you are doing at all. You are literally working behind a wall of light at this point. You can usually crouch; move to cover or start moving away undetected by your visually impaired adversary.
Unbelievably effective...
As is the norm at REACT, we have been evaluating the effectiveness of SureFire tactical lights for months while deciding whether to offer them to our clients. Do the SureFires work in their intended role? Unbelievably well! We have been astounded at the results.
Blasting a loitering stranger with your SureFire gives new meaning to the phrase, “putting someone under the spotlight”. And, guess what? Criminal and devious types hate being noticed, let alone being lit up by what one stranger later claimed, “Must have been a search and rescue spot light”. Hmm...We couldn’t help but wonder how he knew what it felt like to be lit up by a real search spot? Food for thought... Anyhow, he turned out to be fairly harmless once he’d ‘seen the light’, but he simply couldn’t believe his eyes when we showed him the palm-sized SureFire that had ruined his evening.
In fact, the results of our testing were almost comical in some cases. The combined physiological and psychological effects caused by temporary blindness, and the fact that the ‘cover of darkness’ has suddenly vanished, are incredible. The best part is that the use of a SureFire comes in so low on the force continuum that you can use it without any legal hesitation. If you happen to dazzle some poor, innocent passer-by, you can simply apologise for startling him and move on. This would not be the case with a pepper spray and most certainly wouldn’t be the case with a firearm!
After extensive testing, we are absolutely convinced that anyone who has ever felt nervous making an ATM withdrawal at night, walking across a dimly lit parking lot, getting out of a car on a dark driveway or arriving home to a dark house will love their SureFire. In fact, we are firmly of the opinion that no South African should leave home at night without a SureFire in their pocket or handbag!
Owning a SureFire does not negate the need for more serious equipment such as pepper sprays or firearms (should you choose to own one and handle it responsibly) but rather complements these tools perfectly. Imagine yourself trying to explain to a judge how you shot an unarmed man on your property at night...because you though you saw a gun (which are usually black) in his hand...in the pitch-black darkness! Using a SureFire to confirm the threat level prior to making that difficult shoot/no-shoot decision can save innocent lives and is a wise and responsible move.
The recommended strategy is simple. If in doubt, at night, use your SureFire first. Once you have been able to clearly assess the scenario, and have temporarily blinded your opponent in the process, you can make a qualified decision and react appropriately. What might pleasantly surprise you is how often the blinding white beam from your SureFire is enough to end a potentially dangerous confrontation without any need for violence. Criminals have a tendency to scatter like roaches when exposed to bright light.
Would-be smash and grabber sees the light!
"Recently on my way back from presenting an evening seminar in Johannesburg, I pulled up behind a woman in her car, stationary at the traffic light on a highway off-ramp. It was around 23h00 and, as always, I was surprised that anybody would feel comfortable stopping at a deserted intersection at that time of night. This particular spot is well known for smash-and–grabs and I was doing my “heads up” stuff, as I always do at intersections, when I spotted a very suspicious looking individual approaching the woman’s car. The man, who seemed to have one hand concealed under his jacket (never a good sign) appeared out of the darkness, from the embankment beside the road began slowly approaching the woman’s car. The woman hadn’t seen him at all."
"I rolled down my window, calmly picked up the SureFire G2 Nitrolon that was on my lap and blasted the guy with the SureFire’s trademark blinding white beam from a distance of about 15 metres. The result was absolutely hilarious. The guy spun around on the spot, took off at a full sprint and literally went airborne over the edge the embankment. Can you say, “Guilty conscience”? The woman, who appeared rather confused, waved to me in a semi-appreciative gesture and drove off. I was laughing so hard I almost stalled my car... and people tell me that I have a depressing job!"
Tactical switching...
Other than the brightness their beams, SureFire’s signature trademark is a rear mounted ‘momentary-on’ switch. In other words, the ‘on button’ is on the back of the light and is typically operated with the thumb of the hand holding the unit. When pressing the switch you get an instant beam of brilliant white light but the switch doesn’t ‘click’ on. That means that the switch doubles as a ‘dead-man’ switch.
If something dramatic had to happen, such as your attacker suddenly shooting at you, and you wanted to disappear back into the darkness in a hurry, you simply let go the switch. If you dropped your SureFire, it would be off the second it left your hand. This switching system is very effective when used in a personal defence role. If you want your SureFire to remain on permanently you simply twist the tail-cap clockwise for ‘constant-on’.
Still not Sure... (sorry, we couldn’t resist)
Based on our experience during testing and evaluation, we're willing to bet that once you have lived with a SureFire for a few weeks, you will never be without one. If you’re still not convinced, we recommend getting one and letting each member of the family try it out for a week. While you’re at it, go outside at night and get someone to shine the SureFire into your eyes from across your garden or driveway...It’s an enlightening experience!
SureFires are imported from the USA and are designed from the ground up to be the very best personal lights money can buy. The technology packed into these little lights is amazing. As a result, they are not cheap. Having said that, you can buy one for the price of a decent pair of shoes. You need to decide what value you attach to your personal safety.
One thing you can count on is that your SureFire will give you a lifetime of service. They are designed to excel in the harshest military and police environments known to man and it shows in the build quality. Finally, If you want to give a truly unique and practical gift, that may well save a life, you might want to consider a SureFire as an option.
The Power of Light in your Hand!
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