You must not have read John G. Peters Jr. book "Defensive Tactics with Flashlights" book then. The entire second half of the book is dedicated to analysis of legal cases brought against those who used flashlights for defensive purposes. This is an older book from back in the days when larger MagLights ruled the world, but there are plenty of legal cases regarding flashlights used for non-light-providing purposes (i.e., "defensive" use).