Often, yes. Whether you can depends on three things, and it is worth checking all three for the exact place you plan to shoot.
Waco rule confirmed September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice, and rules change, so confirm before you go.
Everything that is already true about shooting is harder in the dark, and one thing changes outright: you can no longer confirm what you are pointing at by looking at it.
This is the whole post. In daylight you identify a target without noticing you did it. After dark that step has to become deliberate, and it has to happen before the gun comes up. The overwhelming majority of tragedies at night are identification failures, not marksmanship failures.
That also means knowing what is behind the target when you cannot see it. Bullets that miss keep going, and a backstop you assumed was there is not a backstop.
Carry a handheld light and, if the gun is set up for it, a weapon light. They are different tools: the handheld is for looking at things, and the weapon light is for shooting at the thing you already decided to shoot. Using a weapon light to search means pointing a loaded gun at everything you are curious about, including people you have not identified yet.
Bring spare batteries or a charged spare. A light that dies mid-string is worse than no light, because you planned around it. Ask at the counter what lights we have in right now.
Tritium sights glow without batteries and are the low-effort upgrade for a defensive handgun. A red dot is easier again for most eyes, though it can starburst badly for astigmatism and look perfect to the person next to you, so look through one before you commit. We mount pistol optics and red dots, and install night sights on Glock and select models, though not XD or XDM.
Work the light, reload, and clear a malfunction in the dark before you need to do any of it in the dark. Everything takes longer than you expect the first time.