Most "bump in the night" posts usually start out with, "I grabbed [insert gun of choice here] and my [flashlight of choice] and went to see what was going on."
While a flashlight is definitely a very valuable tool that you should have on you at all times, especially when investigating a bump, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to just turn on the house lights?
The main advantages to simply turning on the house lights as I see it are:
1) You don't have to worry about missing a spot with your flashlight.
2) If someone is in fact breaking into your home, the lights coming on will let him know that you heard him. Since criminals generally like easy targets, there's a good chance (IMO) that he'll "see the light" and take off.
3) You have both hands free to operate your weapon properly. This is crucial if your HD weapon is a long gun, particularly a pump shotgun.
So what does everyone here think?
While a flashlight is definitely a very valuable tool that you should have on you at all times, especially when investigating a bump, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to just turn on the house lights?
The main advantages to simply turning on the house lights as I see it are:
1) You don't have to worry about missing a spot with your flashlight.
2) If someone is in fact breaking into your home, the lights coming on will let him know that you heard him. Since criminals generally like easy targets, there's a good chance (IMO) that he'll "see the light" and take off.
3) You have both hands free to operate your weapon properly. This is crucial if your HD weapon is a long gun, particularly a pump shotgun.
So what does everyone here think?