Patent ID: 6892488

Claim:
An apparatus for illuminating the target of a handgun, comprising: a) a handgun, said handgun having a front end and a rear end, said handgun having a handle disposed on said rear end for a user to grasp and a barrel disposed on said front end for directing a projectile, said handgun having a bore therein, said bore being adjacent to and parallel to said barrel, said bore being disposed on said front end of said handgun; b) a housing disposed in said bore, said housing having a front end and a rear opposing end; c) a light disposed in said front end of said housing, said light for illuminating the target of the handgun, wherein said light illuminates a field having a specified angle of light projection; d) a light angle adjustment switch to permit the angle of light projection which is illuminated to be varied; e) means for activating said light including a mercury switch whereby the light is automatically activated by raising the barrel of the handgun from a holstered position to a drawn position; f) a manual light shutoff switch to permit the light to be controlled manually regardless of the position of the barrel of the handgun; and, g) a power supply including at least one battery for operating the apparatus to permit a target to be illuminated; h) a lens for placement over said light to permit the light to be protected; an end cap disposed on said rear end of said housing, wherein said light is a light emitting diode to permit the target to be illuminated said light being an infrared light to permit the target to be illuminated in darkness, wherein said mercury switch comprises: i) a chamber disposed in said housing, said chamber having a first and second opposing end; ii) a rotatable circular plate disposed in said chamber between said first and second ends, thereby forming a first front and second rear chamber, said plate being disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing, said plate having a plurality of spaced apart holes therein, said holes being disposed along about one-half of the outer periphery of the plate to permit mercury to flow therethrough as said handgun is raised from the holstered position to the drawn position iii) an electrical contact disposed in said rear chamber; iv) wherein all the mercury is disposed in said front chamber when said barrel of said handgun is in the holstered position; and v) wherein said mercury passes through at least one of said holes in said plate as the handgun is raised from the holstered position to the drawn position, wherein said mercury physically contacts said contact completing an electrical circuit between said contact and said first front chamber and thereby between said light and said power supply causing said light to automatically light.