None of us can imagine the feelings that must occur in the case of a mistaken identity shooting of a family member. We don’t like to talk about this sort of thing in the gun community but it happens on a regular basis. Don’t let it happen to you, on either end.
I’ve written about this before and probably will again. It’s an avoidable tragedy.
tacticalprofessor 
Couldn’t agree with you more on this one Claude. Flashlights are absolutely required for anyone who keeps a “defensive” firearm. It’s indispensable whether at home or on the streets. Rule 4. If you don’t know your target you better not shoot. Flashlights enable this knowledge.
However, those wanting to imitate the Harries technique so often seen on TV or in the movies need to learn it properly. In this case, Rule 2 applies: “Never let the muzzle of your gun cover anything you’re not willing to destroy.” The flashlight hand must be moved under the pistol and behind the muzzle before making contact with the gun hand. Dry fire without a gun until the hand movements are right and transition to an unloaded gun. Once the movements are done correctly, transition to live fire.
As Claude would probably agree, defensive shooters should get some training. The Harries is only one of several flashlight techniques, but the onus is on the defensive shooter to be skillful with at least one if horror stories like the ones mentioned are to be avoided.
I had an incident a while back, shortly after I got my defensive pistol. I lived in a bad area, so I kept it on my night stand, along with a Streamlight pen light. My brother had mentioned he was coming in to town, and said he would be by at a certain time. Due to weather, he kept pushing the time further back. Eventually I went to bed, leaving the door unlocked for him. About 3 AM, I heard a lot of banging outside my house, and then my door opening. Having been jarred out of a deep sleep, I completely forgot my brother was coming in to town. I rolled out of bed, grabbed the pistol and light, and opened my door. Fortunately for both of us, I had spent a fair bit of time teaching myself to ID a target with a light before taking the safety off and putting my finger in the trigger guard. It was a sobering thing for both of us, and has been the reason that I keep training.
Reblogged this on RealDefense and commented:
READ THIS!
Identification and determination of ‘shoot-ability’ are keystones of armed self defense. I had a student that, despite any argument to the contrary, felt her best plan was to shoot through a solid door and assume a bad guy was on the other side.
Practicing with a flashlight is difficult. Most outdoor ranges operate during daylight hours. Indoor ranges panic when they see someone trying to turn off the light and shoot by flashlight.
We can practice at home, dry-fire of course, but managing recoil and the light are difficult. I like your idea of simply asking “Who’s there?” and I think spending a week-end at some school practicing flashlight and house clearing would be money well spent!!!
:Shameless self promotion:
http://tactical-talk.blogspot.com/2013/10/low-light-no-light-shoot-out.html
And
http://tactical-talk.blogspot.com/2014/11/night-vision.html
Reblogged this on disturbeddeputy and commented:
Live the safety rules. You can’t take that bullet back.