There’s a reason the term “shot in the dark” doesn’t mean “to do something with great clarity.” (Michael Connick photo)

Michael Connick recently completed a nighttime match with the International Defense Pistol Association (IDPA). This resulted in some interesting insights for using handguns in dark or low-light conditions that fiction writers might find illuminating. His guest post is below. Enjoy!

~Ben

Michael Connick is the author of “Trapped in a House of Mirrors” and “Funhouse Mirrors.” Both are available at all fine book retailers. (Image courtesy of the author)

According the National Criminal Justice Reference Service of the US Department of Justice , about 90% of police shootings happen in low-light conditions.

Bad things done by bad people tend to occur in the dark. If your protagonist needs to go after some evil-doer at night or in a darkened building, they are going to need to be able to see threats well enough to accurately engage them with their handgun. They are going to need to be familiar with the techniques required to manage lights and handguns in the dark.

This article is going to discuss some of these techniques. Continue reading →