SureFire

SureFire traces back to 1969, when Caltech-trained engineer John Matthews founded Newport Corporation to commercialize industrial laser and photonics technology. After patenting the first commercial firearm laser sight in 1979, Matthews and several Newport engineers bought out the laser-sight business and spun it off as Laser Products Corporation. A 1984 call from LAPD SWAT ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics led the company away from unwieldy laser sights toward a more practical tool — the weapon-mounted flashlight. The Model 300-series WeaponLights followed in 1985. Along the way, SureFire helped establish the CR123A lithium cell as the standard for high-output compact lights. The company renamed itself SureFire, LLC in 2001, and remains a primary supplier of illumination tools, suppressors, and hearing protection to military and law-enforcement users.