The night was suffocatingly dark in Paradise Valley, Arizona in October of 1987—a town shrouded in quiet and lit only by the stars above. There were no streetlights, no safety in visibility, just shadows stretching endlessly into the void. I was there as a process server, having just served an eviction notice to a woman. What I didn’t know was that the shadows would soon hide a predator—and my fight for survival.
I was making my way back to my car when her husband, seething with rage, emerged from the darkness. Without warning, he struck me with the heavy steel of a Colt 1911 .45. The force sent me reeling, blood streaming into my left eye. Disoriented and half-blinded, I staggered, but his intentions were clear. The cold, merciless muzzle of his gun found me, and I saw death in his eyes.
Instinct roared to life. My hand reached for my own weapon, a modest five-shot .38. In the chaos, I managed to fire—not once, but five times. Each shot tore through the darkness and into his body. My attacker stood motionless, and I was left standing, bloodied and shaking, in the unrelenting black. I chose to flee rather than try to reload.
But what if things had been different? What if I had carried a flashlight powerful enough to turn the night into day, to shatter his advantage and blind him before he ever struck?
The flashlight I had that night was old technology, useless, its batteries spent—a mere deadweight in my pocket. Had I been armed with a high-powered light, perhaps I could have disarmed him with blinding brilliance, avoiding the bloodshed that still stains my memory.
Not long after, I discovered a groundbreaking tool: the SureFire 6 P flashlight. The SureFire 6P flashlight was first introduced in 1988. This model marked a significant advancement in flashlight technology, combining the benefits of lithium batteries with a high-power xenon bulb, setting a new standard for compact, high-efficiency flashlights. The bad news was this flashlight was not yet available for me. It did not come out until months later. Small enough to slip into your pocket yet powerful enough to pierce the deepest shadows, it was the tool I needed that night but didn’t have. As soon as the 6P model hit the street it became a must have item for me.
A few years later I showed mine to Massad Ayoob, the legendary firearms expert, when he wrote about my incident. He immediately saw its value, picked up the same 6P model, and has carried it ever since—though I’m certain he now uses an upgraded version.
Today, SureFire not only makes incredible handheld lights but weapon-mounted ones as well. These tools don’t just illuminate—they dominate. The power to obliterate an attacker’s vision, to seize control of the encounter before it begins, is nothing short of life-saving. I’d go visit their website and pick out what suits your needs.
In the darkest moments, a powerful flashlight isn’t just a tool—it’s the difference between survival and tragedy. Never step into the shadows without one.
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