I agree with and respect a lot of what was said above. However...

There is an assumption there are no instances of power being cut to your home... or power outages after a hurricane/earthquake/incident... And consider this real-world scenario if you will:

It's dark oclock in the morning. You awake to sounds in your home and see the hall lights on outside your dark bedroom. You are sleepy, scared, disoriented. Unsure of what's going or if it's even a threat. You listen and sounds of hushed male voices come to you. You take out your (secured) HD shotgun as your whisper for your wife to dial 911. Not being a hero or ego-driven macho man, you are content to wait in the dark bedroom unseen. Just then a dark figure appears in the bedroom doorway silhouetted against the light in the hallway.

Shoot or don't shoot?

For me the answer is no. Too many questions. Do I know this person? Does he have a weapon? But if I wait I am risking our safety.

Flash the light on the dark figure.

a) It's my wife's drunk brother decided to crash at our place instead of drive further (insert any non-threat)
b) It's a crazed stranger I've never seen with a knife/gun in his hand stepping into our bedroom


The fact is, NOT using a light source runs counter to pretty much every training out there. And "flashing" is the reason SureFire puts and instant-on switch (instead of constant on) under your thumb.


The bottom line is this....

We are talking about an extreme situation where deadly force is required because, and ONLY because, you fear for your life or the life of loved ones. Otherwise run away, call the police, let your car get stolen, let them take your grandmother's silverware! Who cares? Ego, materialism, macho, and even legal "appearances" have no place in this moment. There is only one imperative... Am I in fear of my or my family's safety enough to take a human life? If yes, what is the safest way to do so?

I hope none of us ever face this situation. But if we do, I pray we have the clarity of purpose to make the right choice and focus on the gravity of what truly matters.