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Weapon lights and laser sights for both handguns and long guns are valuable assets for officers in all assignments. The following from 12 leading law enforcement suppliers are some of the most innovative and highest quality versions of these tools on the market.
Green lasers are the rage this year in weapon-mounted lights. Why? If you were to set a green laser and a red laser side by side in a dark room, you'd hardly notice the difference. The green systems really shine in daylight or moderately bright environments. Our eyes see images in a defined spectrum from near infrared to near ultraviolet. Red is at the far edge of the spectrum close to infrared. But green is right smack dab in the middle of that spectrum, which is the most efficient frequency for the human eye. Read "Lights and Lasers: It's Easy Being Green."
This year's offerings in lights and lasers include both red and green laser systems. They're getting more and more powerful, feature packed, and smaller, thus enabling use on concealable handguns while still providing retina-searing light levels.
Coming from the old school of cops with revolvers, I was never a big fan of lights attached to a gun. But today's weapon-mounted lights and laser sights dance circles around traditional flashlights when it comes to practical illumination while holding a firearm.
The majority of officer-involved shootings occur in low-light or dark conditions. So one of the most important tools that you can have is a good light. And sometimes the best place for you to have that good light is on the business end of your handgun or long gun.
There was a temptation to slug this article with the headline "Pimp Your Handgun." After all, it's catchy and it's trendy…There's only one thing wrong with it, it's dead wrong.
Recently on the U.S. border with Mexico, a Border Patrol officer was caught with no backup while facing an angry mob of illegal aliens bent on crossing into the United States.