Les Jones

Guns > What's on My Nightstand?

Jeff James started a new meme and Countertop tagged me with it: what's on my nightstand?

Well, there's a clock radio, pivot lamp, cell phone and charger, and a box of Kleenex.

There's no gun. It wouldn't be a good idea with a toddler in the house. Even before we had Katie I didn't keep a gun on or in the nightstand. Don't know why. It just never seemed like the best place for it.

I keep a 5 D cell Maglite on the bookshelf next to the nightstand. It's illumination, or I could use it to fight my way to the gun (the thing's like a lead pipe). I use it to check out mystery noises in the night, or when the power goes out. Because it's huge it doesn't get misplaced like our other flashlights.

I'm a big believer in illumination. I installed five motion-sensitive lights outside, plus motion-sensitive lights or switches in the bathroom, kitchen, and utility room. I keep flashlights or headlamps in my car and all of my backpacks.

I don't always carry a gun, but I always carry a flashlight in my pocket. I think a light is more likely to save my life than a gun.

I've tried all kinds, from Mini-Mags to Mini-Mag Solitaires to LED lights. My favorite is the one I've used for the past six months - a SureFire E2D. It's a palm-sized light, a little smaller than the Mini-Mag, but brighter than the 5 D cell Maglite. If the Maglite is a Model T, this is a Formula 1 car. It's searchlight bright, and the light is very clean, with absolutely no dark rings. Here's the review from FlashlightReviews.com.

The downside is battery life and price. It only burns for 75 minutes, even with the lithium batteries. That's fine for the way I use it, and there's a long-burn LED light on my keychain. (There's a SureFire Aviator, which has both incandescent and LED bulbs so you can choose between bright light and long burn times at the flick of a switch. Or you can install an extended runtime lamp that cuts the lumens to 25 but boosts the run time to 2.5 hours.) The price at my local shop was $89, which is a might steep if you're not a flashlight nut. The G2s are cheaper at $35. I like the push-button end-switch on the E2E better, but the G2s are just as bright.

I'm supposed to tag five bloggers with the meme. Here are my picks (did I mention I can't count?):

Andi (answer posted here)
Clayton Cramer
John of Argghhh!!! (answer posted here)
Mr. Completely (answer posted here)
Preston Taylor Holmes (answer posted here)
Sayuncle (answer posted here)
Wadcutter (answer posted here)