We've heard people say "white light ND" a lot lately (not sure who started it) but those of us in the field tend to think it's a bad idea, because it dilutes the meaning of "ND".  Let me explain.

ND is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly.  Traditionally, ND is ONLY used when a weapon is being discharged accidentally, which means EVERY time an ND occurs, there is a chance people could die.  As a result, ND as a term should be treated seriously.  Whenever the word "ND" is muttered, safety procedures should be followed to reduce the chance of death or injury.

However, if we started calling everything "accidental" with ND, the world ND looses it's weight and people will stop taking it seriously.  Think of it when everyone started using the term "Mayday" to describe lesser troubles in the aviation industry. They don't, and never will, because nobody wants to be ignored when they actually have a real Mayday.

Long story short, ND involves an error that is always deadly, and it is irresponsible to use it to describe anything less.  Instead, find a different term - we use UA (Unintended Activation) as a more concise differentiation to indicate a milder offense, and reserve ND ONLY for ND... so that we can keep everyone safe.

So do me a favor:  whenever you hear someone say White Light ND, point them to this blog post please.  So you can also help make firearms operation safer.