HSLD Operator Paul Howe pokes holes and rakes windows for the LULz:
The GAT (Glass Assault Tool) is designed to penetrate car side and back window glass while enabling the operator to keep their hands on their weapon. It will also allow officers to defeat most cosmetic glass when responding to high risk missions such as active shooter or hostage rescue.
Source – XSsightSystems
I don’t really get this point of this tool. Yea I know it’s to break glass, but given the two scenarios of “active shooter” and “hostage rescue” I just see this being a very niche product as far as when it will actually be used. Let’s start off with an active shooter scenario… if someone is shooting, why would law enforcement be up close and personal with the shooters car? Since when isn’t the object of the game to fill the shooter with holes by shooting through the glass from a safe distance? Now regarding a hostage situation; hostage to me means that there is still a “threat”, so again why are LEOs up next to a car with a hostage and a gunman fixin to rake his glass? If there’s no threat and we are calling hostages stupid people who don’t know how to open a door, or people who possibly have their arms bound or injured fine I guess that works… rake away. Keep in mind there are hundreds of glass breaking tools you can buy that are no bigger than a pen that will work just as well and don’t require you to have a light mounted on your handgun like an idiot in the middle of the day.
FYI: WL-GAT (TM)… yea that’s trademarked guys, watch out! I know thousands of you were like “Damn son, I better get back to name brainstorming for my next big product which I was going to call the WL-GAT”. *sigh* It’s official, all the good acronyms are now taken.
2:34 – “My GAT will be in the 12:00 position”. haha his gat, that will never get old.
Since I think the name WL-GAT is fucking retarded I’m going to approach XSsightSystems about licensing the design to me for a rebrand as the glass entry tool every open and concealed carrier needs in their life to help prevent something I hate seeing. Still with me? I hate seeing dogs in hot cars. This is why I present to you the DICKINFASTHO – Dog In Car Killed If No Fresh Air Soon Too Hot Out. Rake the window, save a dog’s life. I don’t make the big bucks for nothing… this idea machine of mine doesn’t have an off switch.
Oh yea and don’t mexican carry with the GAT unless you want a hole in your junk. Don’t even try suing XSsightSystems if you don’t heed my warning and that happens either… they have lawyers that specialize in scrotum injury law on retainer that will eat the case.
I can’t find this handgun version of the GAT on the XSsightSystems website, but there is this hilarious AR-15 version you can check out.
Disappointing for all your non law enforcement / military guys that I know wanted to mount a GAT on your gat… XS won’t sell one to you. Probably for good reason… admit it, you had some dumb shit planned as soon as you saw the video. haha
Thoughts? Would operate with? Useful tool or a gimmick?
Comments
63 responses to “Raking Glass With A Dumb Weapon Light Assault Poke As A Way Of Life”
Both of these “gats for your gat/ar” look an awful lot “like a solution looking for a problem” don’t they??
The only thing I can imagine using this for is to punch someone in the chest with it like a douche or to avoid resorting to blowing someone’s brains when trying to poke their eye out.
I’m just gonna assume actual Delta force member and LEO trainer Paul Howe knows what he’s talking about and has seen a need for this niche product.
I agree that it seems pretty widgety, but breaking glass can be a pain and to be able to do it without changing firing grip could be useful to SWAP types
There are already a bunch of weapon mounted glass breaking tools out there. This isn’t some new gimick as there are all sorts of scenerios they use these for. Just one would be a drunk that wouldn’t get out of the car. Should they just shoot him or should they break the glass and pull him out?
I like this blog but sometimes the sarcasm takes the place of actual thought. It seems that you just can’t wait to bash an idea, product, or person.
You should re-read the post and watch the video. I mentioned the fact there were other glass breaking tools out there. I’m not a cop, but they have been breaking glass without two hands on their gun when it comes to getting drunks out for decades without this tool.
I call them as I see them, and yes I “can’t wait” to do it. If you want glowing product reviews or simple product announcements there are plenty of boring blogs out there you can follow that all do that same thing.
Hell, even if the product is the best thing under the sun the presentation is too funny. Mattv would have a hard time making a video so damn goofy.
Why would I be punching my pistol through a window at an unarmed drunk?
Seriously, if he’s armed, I ain’t going near that window, and if he’s unarmed, WTF would I shove a loaded pistol in his face?
Seems like that operation would end with operator conveniently “finding” a Jennings .22 with no serial number in some poor headless idiot’s lap.
So drunks never intentionally run their cars into other cars, buildings, people, etc? They never intentionally try and run over cops? Could someone have locked themselves in a car with a hostage? Could someone have locked themselves in a car with the intent to commit suicide? Narrow minded much?!
Do cops routinely plant guns on people they shoot?
You do understand it’s possible to break a car window without shoving a loaded weapon in someone’s face, right?
Paul Howe is the shit.
Hmmm, let’s see –
Father-in-law founded Delta Force – Check
Daughter is one the few females qualified as an aerial gunner on AC-130’s and also qualified for Delta selection – Check
Wife is a retired Major – Check
A decade in Delta Force himself – Check
One of the most respected LE/Mil trainers since 2000 – Check
Even if this is a gimmick, which it is not, I’d be willing to give him a pass on it.
Typical sheeple mindset of assuming that military or LE background, no matter how extensive or impressive, equates to automatic badassery in all things firearms – Check.
Hey, watch top-shot sometime and see the ins and outs of the fallacy of that mindset. Self-taught shooters who are computer nerds and christian camp directors dispute this concept readily. And for what it’s worth, I do have personal testimony of this fallacy being in training classes with x-LAPD SWAT, Marine Force Recon vets, a Ravalli County Deputy with an impressive background, and other folks who should all shoot better than me based on their resumes, fail to make 3 inch groups at 5 yards with a pistol..and more..and lose to me, a fat, christian, computer nerd who’s self taught. lol
On topic, I think placing a small piece of porcelain on the gun somewhere, maybe the mag floor-plate or make a front sight with a porcelain edge on it, and all you have to do is gently tap that edge on tempered glass and it shatters quietly. This is what criminals in the SF Bay Area have been doing for decades to break into vehicles quietly. When cops search badguys and find little pieces of spark plug porcelain, they get added charges sometimes. I bet manufacturing front sights for pistols with one or two sharp porcelain edges would be best. Imagine the ability to break into a warehouse on the fly, and do it quietly to make entry, because of my invention! word.
It’d be an equally logistical fallacy to assume that your performance on the one way range puts you anywhere near the operational/field performance level of any of these persons whom you describe.
It would also be an equally logical fallacy to assume those guys could eat as many cheetos as me in under 60 seconds. So what’s your point captain ‘murica?
Please do not assume Top Shot is any sort or realistic test of firearms skills.
It more than makes my point…that the general public believes that MIL and LE have superior marksmanship skills, and that that assumption is 100% false. And what better place to display pretended marksmanship skills than on a nationally televised show. Can you think of a place where the motivation to excel is surpassed ($100k prize money & other benefits)? They are to shoot a wide variety of weapons, many of which they even claim expertise in but often fall short of demonstrating that expertise, with and without stressors. The cocky guys (see any of ENDO Mike’s “Top Douchebag” threads) made up of firearms trainers, Marines, Seals, Swat officers, etc. fail time after time usually because of their crappy ‘institutionalized inertia’ (as Travis Haley calls it) that prevents them from executing basic marksmanship skills. You obviously haven’t watched it. They actually do shoot guns, and the so-called experts are usually the ones who fail, make excuses, or in one case, quit (the SEAL) like a little crybaby bitch. I just watched all four seasons over again, for fun, and while I hate all the drama, I do watch all the shooting (especially the gratuitous slo-mo) which is quite entertaining and educational. I’m not naive enough to think that these contestants quality of shooting is like that when not on the show…for example, Michelle Viscusi has demonstrated excellent marksmanship and knowledge of firearms well beyond the show…but the point is that she choked (shooting a shotgun at a wheel was a pretty hard test for her) and peoples’ expectations were let down…and then the computer nerd won..so naturally the show is rigged, right?
I love you internet. It’s commentators like this guy that make my day…
I’d agree that Paul gets a pass on most of the opinios here. He is the real deal…in every way.
What I have learned from this thread is that to improve my shooting skills, I need to stop practicing so much, gain weight, learn Linux, and apply for a job at Jesus camp.
Sounds cheaper than a case of nine right now, at least…
LOL!
“Daughter […] also qualified for Delta selection – Check”
lol wut
Can I change my ultimate derp for the book contest to this please?
I fail to see what this does that a standalone glass breaker doesn’t do except for making you buy a new custom holster. That seems odd given this is clearly marketed as a law enforcement product. Good luck finding a duty holster.
It doesn’t seem like Mike is calling Paul Howe an idiot here. He’s saying the product application doesn’t make a lot of sense. Yeah Howe was Delta. He’s the real deal and one of the top instructors in the country. That doesn’t mean he can’t be wrong. Remember he was Delta. That doesn’t necessarily make him an expert on the glass breaking needs of your average beat cop.
And what’s up with making this LEO only? It’s not like they won’t be available from retailers. I hate when companies do that.
The glare he keeps giving in the video reminds me of my cat after I feed him some strange food.
It looks like he’s a bit full of himself, and wanting all the Mall Nijas to buy one – admit it, you looked at the price..
The only reason I see someone needing this is to break a car window have the high speed chase AS-SEEN-ON-TV. It is fun to watch the hyped out cops try and use a nightsticks and break the car window, only to open the car door and pull the person out.
Another thing I find funny is how all these guys hold their handguns up tight to their chests – kind of like a 3 yearold with a cool toy.
Ok, I’m done making fun of everyone, I feel better about myself.
There is a reason for the “high-ready position”. Read up on it before making fun of something you dont know about.
you mean an attemp to retain you weapn by keeping in close? Jesus…think before you speak.
Sure. Why not? Seems to work well.
He needs to come up with a version you can use without a light also. One that mounts right to the rail.
Don’t worry, as soon as Paul Howe starts wearing ENDO shirts, Mike will sell out and start loving him, just like he’s done with Vigilant Spectre.
haha “sell out”. I made it very clear I don’t agree with pretty much everything Vigilant Spectre does.
The best tool I’ve seen for breaking windows, other then a brick, is an automatic center punch. $2 for the punch, and $3 for the custom mounting kit.
http://www.harborfreight.com/spring-loaded-center-punch-621.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-inch-w-x-50-yd-cloth-back-duct-tape-94714.html
Place it in the corner of a window and let it do it’s thing. On a car side window just place it in the center.
hahah I love the custom mounting kit.
dude, you really need to untie your underpants and learn about sarcasm.
sorry ENDO-mike. comment was mentioned for Justin
“don’t require you to have a light mounted on your handgun like an idiot in the middle of the day.”
You mean I have to keep the light in a separate pocket until the sun goes down if I don’t want people to think I’m an idiot? That’s kind of a pain in the ass…
Yea because there are no such things as dark buildings where a light would be necessary when the sun is out. You idiot
*dark interiors of buildings
Do cops not already carry flashlights? I think they do. Why stop at a weapon light and a flash light? hhaha
And do they have to do interior searches for suspects in dark buildings where a weapon mounted light would have greater benefit than holding your weapon in one hand and a separate flashlight in the other? I think they do. hhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahhahahaahhhhhhhhhhhh
Like I said, why stop there? They should carry around everything under the sun and every cop should also tow a trailer behind him just in case some sort of niche situation arises. Troll harder.
ENDO-Mike, lf there’s trailers to be moved they will need one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/trailer-accessories/heavy-duty-trailer-dolly-37510.html
haha nice! Harbor Freight prices always make me LOL… like I can’t imagine how little they must pay for that in order to ship it from China and still make a profit, it’s ridiculous.
Great quote wasn’t it? I caught that one too.
I did bold it, so it wasn’t like I was trying to sneak it in. What percentage if police officers do you figure run weapon mounted lights non stop on their handgun? The places I’ve been I haven’t noticed that being a hugely popular trend. Maybe it’s more common with special units like SWAT though.
It’s gradually becoming more common. It’s already at nearly 100 % with K9 officers. (For obvious reasons.)
With the advent of smaller lights like CTC’s Lightguard, it’s increasingly common with CCW guns, too. I’ve had a Lighguard on my M&P for a year now, carried IWB. I certainly don’t see a downside to the practice.
Amended:
“ I certainly don’t see a downside to the practice.”
Well, except as Mr. Elwood parenthetically alludes to below, idjits ruining it for everybody by using WMLs to search.
Also, why isn’t ENDO in my sidebar? Fixing that now.
I actually almost thought to myself: “Well this does seem kind of useful….”
I finished up that thought with: “….but real operators elbow-bash the shit out of glass!”
real operators dont mess around with breaking glass during operations with their elbows, they use their tactical beards of course.
This video should have Annie Lennox’s “Walking On Broken Glass” as the soundtrack:
http://youtu.be/y25stK5ymlA
Having worked as a breacher, something like this could come in handy. Say, for example, you need to break and rake a window real quick as a distraction because some ones unloading on the entry team, or something.
Personally for breaching glass (Which is a lot harder than you would think.)I prefer det cord, but the thing is, if you really need to break through glass in a hurry, you may not have time to fuck with getting something out of a pocket or a pouch, and having it right there in your hands could really make a difference.
Maybe.
1- Unless you can guaranty 300-1000 sales, good luck getting a level 3 holster made for it. Really, any holster that is not from a custom shop.
B- It seems the trend is going away from pistol mounted lights in LE due to a couple of recent lawsuits. Let Joe Patrolman accidentally rake Suzie Scumbags face with one and see how fast the ambulance chasers would run to her side.
7- If you gonna market something that has very limited usage in the LE market and not let the Tactical Ted’s buy it, it better be priced way up there, just look at that wonderful wrist mounted flashlight SueFire makes.
You mean the “Surefire Wrist Fracture Device.” ;)
He lost me at 50 seconds in when he said “…and you can either mount it it the six o’clock, or in the twelve o’clock, as it is on this weapon system right here.”
That’s a GLOCK-brand GLOCK. It’s not a “weapon system.”
Paul was an Army guy, a gun with a light, and stuff…system. Its just the way we come up talking about equipment. It is a Glock brand Glock, but with a light on it…its a system to people in Army culture. Thats shy he says shit like that.
It’s super easy to critique a product and laugh a bit at a guy that made hin ENTIRE LIFE dedicated to fighting bumps in the night, not being a good sales pitch in front of the camera. But seriously, cops dont carry a batman like belt with tricks and do-dads to solve every problem, neither do most grunts. In fact we try to minimize the ammount of crap they carry because its heavy or gets in the way. what if you hop out of your car on a call and have an infant that was accidentally locked in a car? mom is there, worried, but has no tools…yours tool is already in hand. Tempered glass on an exigent circumstance entry…might want to be quiet. Car accident and occupants are unresponsive but the windows are up? Why dig for a one use specialty tool or run like hell back to your car when you have one on your pistol? not every cop has a halligan tool. Life is full of problems for guys that do strange shit to help people, and minimizing equipment and trying to streamline problem solving is key. I always find it funny when arm chair operators or those who make fun of “every day being an operation for operators, operating in super HSLD operations” like we do here (which is why I come here, im not cherry picking Mike) make fun of innovations that may not be the best, but offer outside the box options to guys that may actually be popping a window. its not always active shooters and cartel bosses, sometimes its a kid or a puppy, the point is, if you need to break glass its almost never to kill terrorists on secret missions saving the planet from people that want to take underwear models away and put them in burquas, its because you have people that you serve and running erands to get a glass popper or a hoolie tool might not be fast enough,if you have on eon your gun…go for it.
You still haven’t addressed the main practicality issue. This thing appears to require a new holster. That’s a HUGE problem for a lot of law enforcement who have to deal with a limited holster selection unless he can get a duty holster manufacturer to make a compatible duty holster this product is useless to the groups it’s being marketed to. Add to this the fact that an officer who needs glass breaking capabilities can buy a stand-alone glass breaker or combination with handcuff key or pen for less without rendering their duty holster obsolete and this appears to be a product with too small a niche to be practical.
No ones doubting that glass breaking ability is useful/necessary for law enforcement. This product just doesn’t seem to make logistical sense.
PJ, youre not wron at all. In fact, it is possibly too small a niche to be a viable product. That being said, sometimes ENDO gets filled up with people calling shit stupid because its too tacticool for a guy that spends a saturday every other month putting 100rds through his pistol. Fine if you do, but innovation comes from ideas that need improvement…not from perfect out of the gate ideas. I ranted a bit, but c’mon…not everybody can be as perfect as Chuck Yeager. (joke).
Looking back at the video it does look like it works with Safariland holsters. But another issue with this product just occurred to me rereading your post. The majority of instances a LEO would need a glass breaker its probably inappropriate to pull their sidearm. For mil use that wouldn’t be as big an issue but there the rifle version makes significantly more sense.
Completely agreed about ENDO comments. For this post it seems to be “Why would anyone need a glass breaker?” answered by either general comments about glass breakers in general being useful without referring to the usefulness of this particular product or “Paul Howe was Delta, therefore he’s not capable of having a bad idea.” Neither is productive, but ENDO is for making fun of derp. If only everyone could be as perfect as Chuck Yeager we’d probably have more of that to make fun of.
I could see some sort of spring punch built in, but as an add-on that you have to change holsters for — it would be a pass.
Operators don’t generally approach high-threat vehicles alone during most ops; cover your buddy as he breaks the glass. If it came down to it, I know my flashlight (that I carry for additional lighting when not using my gun light) works well as an impact weapon to break glass. I also have a few folding rescue-knives with the glass-breaker on em.
I think i have seen better glass breaking tools at the local gunshop, they are kinda grey colored (depends which version) at the tip, and come in a little brass case and the deployment handle is a curved thing under the barrel.
“don’t require you to have a light mounted on your handgun like an idiot in the middle of the day.”
I believe a WML is a critical item. Dark houses/corners exist all over the place; hell, it is dark outside roughly 50% of the time! Quite frankly it (a full-time WML) should be in far more common usage than it currently is. No, I am not advocating that LEO’s use a WML for a simple search but in -addition- to their standard belt lights.
If one thinks it’s, ‘easy’ to use a handheld light in conjunction with a pistol relative to a dedicated WML I’d say a night fighting class or two is in order.
This was the dumbest article written in the stupidest tone and that I’ve ever read. Your being all sassy over a product made for those in harms way who take being prepared seriously…when you contribute to an internet blog.
Aggressively attacking a product…doesn’t magically give you any credibility towards any of the crap coming out of your mouth you stupid fucktard.
Now disapprove my comment like a goddamn coward.
Good day.