The Best Home Defense Lasers at Every Price Point

When laser sights became widely available to consumers more than a decade ago, I didn't pay them much attention. They appealed to Hollywood because of their aesthetics—but most folks thought they were kind of a joke.

The first time I used a quality laser sight in a low-light situation, I realized lasers were real tools with real-world applications. When I attended a Crimson Trace sponsored event at Gunsite a few years ago, I used their laser in conjunction with a white light to "fight" my way though a shoot house in the pitched-black desert night, I was sold.

Despite the fact that most of us conduct our firearms training during daylight hours, bad things usually happen at night. Realistic home defense scenarios involve low light, movement, difficult angles, crucial target identification, unorthodox shooting positions and the panic of a life or death encounter—none of these are conducive to precision shooting.

A laser—preferably in combination with a white light—allows the homeowner to identify a threat, acquire a sight picture (the image of the laser on the target), and stop the threat without changing one's focus from the target back to the sights.

Let's say you find yourself in an awkward shooting position, such as holding your child or a phone in your weak hand, while holding a handgun at the retention position. Due to the close confines of a hall or doorway, you can fire accurately during an otherwise hopeless situation with a laser.

Also, a laser can be used as a compliance tool. When a red or green dot appears on a bad guy's chest, there's a good chance it will stop him/her from advancing their threat.

There are a variety of quality laser products on the market, so let's explore some of the best options for home defense.