Today's high-security climate in airports and other public areas has fundamentally changed the way in which those of us who take our personal safety seriously can operate. Even though 41 states issue concealed carry licenses to qualified citizens, no state in the union permits so much as a nail clipper in an airport. No longer can we carry a small knife, such as an Emerson Commander or Strider tactical folder. Pepper spray is prohibited in most secured areas. Non-metallic "knives" made of dense polymer or ceramic are simply not worth the risk of a federal felony and losing the right to own guns. No matter what you do or where you go these days, the law-abiding citizen is forbidden to protect himself with an adequate weapon. We are on our own with nothing but our wits, our ingenuity and our indomitable spirits.

Safety Options
Thankfully, there are some viable options available to ensure your personal safety in a weaponless environment. One of these options is simply hand-to-hand combat. Martial arts or defensive tactics training would be valuable in such an encounter. Should it be the case that there are loose objects nearby, such as a pen, brick, trashcan lid, broom handle, or bottle, you then have a weapon of opportunity against your adversary. However, what if there are no weapons of opportunity lying around? What if you don't have any background in hand-to-hand training such as martial arts or defensive tactics? What then are your options for survival of an attack at close quarters? Say hello to your new equalizer: the common, garden-variety, seemingly harmless flashlight.

Much like a pocketknife, a flashlight can be readily accessible from any carry location such as your pants or shirt pocket or perhaps even from a metal clip or Kydex holster on your belt if you carry a larger model. Similar to a gun, a flashlight can be aimed by pointing, but unlike a firearm doesn't require front or rear sights for alignment - you simply aim for the eyes, hit the switch and pray your batteries aren't dead! A good flashlight can emit a powerful beam of blinding light that can temporarily disorient an attacker at close quarters. This is not speculation, this is documented in countless law enforcement encounters. While there are all sorts of flashlights on the market, SureFire is by far and away the best for defensive tactics. In order to be effective, a defensive flashlight must be dazzlingly bright and the plain, unvarnished truth is that nothing is as bright as a SureFire. Fact, not hype. Documentable, provable, verifiable fact.

SureFire's M3 CombatLight and the Centurion are my favorites for personal defense. Both can deliver a concentrated bolt of lithium-propelled white light with devastating effectiveness when focused directly into the eyes. However, as blinding as the light may be - especially at night - you'd better have something else up your sleeve to back it up after he squints, turns his head and re-focuses his attack. Fortunately all SureFire models are ruggedly designed and manufactured out of Mil-Spec aerospace-grade aluminum alloy boasting a Type III hard anodized finish, hard enough to cause any attacker to give second thought to pursuing his malevolent intentions after being temporarily blinded and cracked in the temple a couple of times with the bezel.

SureFire products are purposely rounded - ergonomics, you know - and dynamically designed to fit the palm for optimum grip and retention in all-weather usage. This results in a variety of functional grips akin to the deployment of a Kubotan or "palm stick" which enables the operator to deliver distracting blows to soft tissue or hard bone of an attacker. So, our harmless little flashlight is readily accessible, can shine a beam of focused white light directly into a cornea, is appropriately designed for close quarter contact and tough enough to be used for delivery of debilitating strikes. Even so, without any prior personal-defense training, you may need a couple of helpful hints to get you through the rough and tumble spots.

Helpful Hints
First, remember that any weapon must be accessible. Don't carry your light where you cannot quickly deploy it. Some examples of bad-carry locations would include your checked baggage on aircraft, buried inside your briefcase, sandwiched between slabs of files as you walk from the courthouse to your car or amid the female detritus of a purse. Use the SureFire pocket clip, like on the E2 Executive or C2 Centurion, or otherwise keep a non-clip model handy. Second, be aware of your environment. Look at your surroundings and maintain a state of alertness at all times, what Jeff Cooper calls Condition Yellow. Should you happen to get the sense in the pit of your belly that something bad is immenently about to go down - Condition Orange as Cooper calls it - then have your light in your hand with your thumb already on the tailcap switch ready to fire. Be aware. Don't be surprised. Ever.

Lastly, think in combinations of movements. Shine a concentrated beam of white light directly into his eyes; then tighten your grip and deliver multiple aggressive strikes to the eyes and throat area. Remember Machiavelli's dictum: Never deal your enemy a light blow. Strike hard and fast and often. Use the edge of the bezel and slam it as hard as you can. Better yet, enhance the striking power of your SureFire with a "tactical impact device" from GGG. This humdinger of a product is a serrated cap that fits over a standard SureFire bezel to turn your flashlight into a saw-tooth skin-flayer. I would not install the GGG goody until after clearing security, for obvious reasons. Even after multiple blows, an attacker may not be impressed and may continue his attack so you'd better have a Plan B and a Plan C and a Plan D to handle your situation. You must begin formulating these backup plans the second your environment changes. Ask yourself all the important tactical questions: "Where are my avenues of egress? How can I evade and escape? What and where are my concealment and cover options? Are there any other weapons of opportunity in my immediate vicinity? Can I count on anyone else to assist in the fight? Above all else, maintain that aggressive mindset - the will to survive at all costs. Objects are not weapons. The ultimate weapon is your mind.

Steve Tarani, author of several books on personal defense, is the director of and senior instructor for Contact Defense, LLC a California-based professional law enforcement training corporation specializing in operational skills development. He is also on staff at both Gunsite Academy and the NNSI/ CTA (Security Force Training) and can be reached at www.contactdefense.com.