[Fuelburns2]

I was taking my CPL class today and the instructor mentioned that if you use a gun with a laser sight for SD the prosecutor could turn that against you. The argument was that if you had a laser and could have hit your attacker where you wanted then you could have easily avoided killing him. I understand how a jury could see things that way. Not to mention you don't learn anything by training with them. I thought that was worth passing on since I hadn't ever considered that angle and we seem to have several people asking about laser grips from time to time.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

That might be something to consider.

I would think any decent lawyer would easily be able to debunk that, though.

 

[Justin_Thompson]

A good counterargument, if you know a little something about physics, would be to point out that most shooters who use laser grips have them adjusted for use at an extended range where the basic sights aren't always as reliable, whether due to lack of experience or an eye condition. And because they're adjusted for use at a distance, say 25 yards, they're not going to point to the point of impact on a target less than 30 feet away.

Another counterargument might be that if you can actually line up your sights to get a perfectly placed shot, then you had plenty of warning and were in no immediate danger.

 

[uglydog]

The best arguement FOR laser sights is that they allow you to put the bullets into the bad guy with less likelyhood of missing and hitting an innocent bystander. As many experienced and practiced legal minds have pointed out, if lethal force was justified then it doesn't matter what you use to administer it. If this argument regarding lasers were true, it would mean you could be indicted for the gun you used, the ammo you used, the fact you carried, that you were in that particular place and time, ad infinitum. Make sure any use of force is indeed necessary and have your attorney present before any statements are made and this is pretty much a non-issue. If any of the preceding aren't followed, the use of a laser is merely a sidebar and you have other, more important things to worry about.

 

[killerb]

I have Crimson Trace LaserGrips on my S&W 640. They are the small boot grip ones that are flush with the frame butt and have no master on/off switch. I think some misinformation is being passed around and reinforced here.

Laser grips or any other laser sight does not make a handgun more accurate. They are just an alternate means of sighting. You put the laser where you want to hit just like you put your front sight where you want to hit. Lasers don't make inaccurate guns accurate or cure poor trigger manipulation. The laser just allows a shooter to deliver an accurate shot without sighting down the barrel in the traditional fashion. In a defensive situation, you might have to fire from a less than ideal position.

I disagree that laser sights are sighted in for longer ranges like 25 yards. You can't even see the dot on your target with the naked eye that far away in daylight. I have my laser sighted in at 10 yards. My revolver hits to point of aim with its iron sights at 7-15 yards, so I have it set up so that the laser dot is lined up with the iron sites.

The laser can be a valuable training aid. That little dancing dot reveals all kinds of bad trigger pulling habits. Keeping the dot on target throughout the trigger pull isn't easy, especially with a heavy d/a trigger.

I like mine, they don't hang off the gun to break or snag and they don't add any appreciable size or weight. I feel that they give me an additional advantage if I find myself in a violent encounter.