Patent ID: 8028461

Claim:
A firearm having a projectile firing portion, which includes a trigger and a surface; a selectively activatable energy emitter which is coupled to said projectile firing portion; a source of energy; a switch portion which is coupled to said surface of said firearm and which includes a selectively movable lever positioned proximate to said trigger and which normally and orthogonally extends away from said barrel and which is movable from a first position to a second position and wherein said switch portion is coupled to said source of energy and to said energy emitter and when said selectively movable lever is in said first position, said source of energy is coupled to said emitter, thereby causing said emitter to generate visible energy and when said selectively movable lever is selectively moved to said second position, said coupling of said source of energy to said emitter is interrupted, thereby preventing said emitter from generating said visible energy, wherein said selectively movable lever is biased in a first direction toward said first position such that when the firearm is removed from a holster or other resting surface, the emitter immediately generates said visible energy and is thereafter prevented from generating said visible energy only if and only for so long as a force is applied to said selectively movable lever in a direction approximately opposite said first direction to overcome said bias; and a disable switch which is coupled to said switch portion and which prevents said energy emitter from being coupled to said source of energy regardless of the position of said lever.