Body armor Most of us are carrying for protection against criminal attack. If the BG is armed with a gun and gets the drop on us how likely is it that we will prevail? We're relying on surprise and a lot of luck to be able to draw and fire before the BG does. Seems like we should be considering body armor. I admit I don't know much about the subject. Is it available to the general public? How much does it cost? Is it impractical to wear? Is there any such thing as comfortable body armor?
Avidshooter (Texas)
"The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits." -- Plutarch
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Banned
www.secondchance.com
Rick Davis, the man who would give demonstrations by shooting himself in the abdomen with a .357 Mag, is probably the foremost authority on body armor. His company, Second Chance, would be a great place to start.
You can even get armor for your dog.
Interesting to note that Rick Davis also was heavily influencial in starting the sport of bowling pin shooting.
There are several different types and levels of protection when it comes to body armor. For every day use, it's impractical and rather uncomfortable. Soft body armor traps body heat. Wearing specially designed under garments sometimes help, but most times not. Will it save your life, highly likely, is it something that most people want to wear every day? Probably not.Originally Posted by AvidshooterTX
Then of course there's this guy:
gf
"A few well placed shots with a .22LR is a lot better than a bunch of solid misses with a .44 mag!" Glock Armorer, NRA Chief RSO, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Muzzleloading Rifle, Muzzleloading Shotgun, and Home Firearm Safety Training Counselor
Hehe, great pic!
Glock Fan pretty much summed up everything about soft body armor. It's uncomfortable, restricts movement, retains heat, and in the case of IWB type holster, you may actually have trouble accessing your gun. It will also only save you from most pistol rounds. Rifle rounds? No chance, however you were mentioning this in regards to a BG getting the drop on you. Probably unlikely with a rifle.
Now I got completely reamed in the other thread, about carrying around a pair of zip-tie cuffs, so I think it's only fair to state exactly what was said to me. Have you considered the possible legal repercussions if you're involved in an incident and were wearing body armor in addition to carrying? It's a bad combination that when viewed through the eyes of most law enforcement, you will appear to be the troublemaker. LEO's have not had good history facing people with body armor, and even though you may have saved the day for someone else, the LEO's will likely treat you as a suspect, or at the very least, be very suspicious of you.
On top of all that, it's expensive, and generally not sold to the public (LEO/MIL only). In your intended type of use, it's not worth it, and the few positives are greatly outweighed by the more likely negatives. However, if you're preparing for the unknown future, keeping body armor with ballistic plates is not a bad idea.
Don't need it. I ain't got no business going someplace I MIGHT need body armor.
Being involved in a self defense confrontation (or Heaven forbid, a actual shooting) and having the LEO discover you are wearing a vest is gonna make it look like you are hunting for trouble. A clever DA with an agenda or the just opinion that you ARE guilty is gonna have a field day about how you were armored up and walking the streets.
"Maybe he could have avoided the confrontation with the deceased, but did he really try? After all, he was wearing body armor. He had nothing to fear from the deceased. Yet he shot him down in cold blood while invulnerable ...." Get the picture?
Yeah, I know that body armor doesn't make you Superman but the average jury don't. (DA's want dumb folks and Defense attorneys want smart ones.) All they know is what they see on TV and we all know how accurate Hollywood is when it comes to firearms.
Aresye,
I agree with the reaming you got about carrying flex cuffs. I have a Concealed Carry Permit, not a badge. The CCP doesn't give me Super Special Deputy of the World powers. It just means I can pass a general criminal background check and, depending on the state that issued it, can hit the wall of a barn from the inside with a pistol. I do not have arrest powers. I also do not care if he runs away. As a matter of fact, I actually want him to run away before he makes me shoot him. If I have to shoot, I ain't stopping until either the person(s) threatening my safety are out of the area and no longer a threat or they are incapacitated to such a level that the threat to my safety is ended. Either that or I'm so injured that I can't pull a trigger or perform a reload so I can pull the trigger some more.
Banned
I could see wearing body armor being ok, but flex-cuffs I do not see any use for.
Its not that expensive, you're talking about $400-800 depending on the level and brand. It is also not generally restricted but does vary by state. My state allows body armor.
And that's where we get into a difference of opinion. If the neighborhood of my favorite resteraunt, the one i've been eating at since I was a kid turns into a 'bad area of town' then am I duty bound by some unspoken rule to not eat there? I understand what you're saying, but there is a point where if we just stay in our comfort zones the criminal element wins. If I drive an extra 20 minutes because i'm afraid to put gas in a certain part of town I've lost my freedom in a sense.
As for comfort, humans are extremely adaptable- that being said I rarely wear a vest even when on duty because its so freakin' hot and cumbersome, but if its something you feel you could wear day in and day out then more power to you. I'd also agree that if you were involved in some sort of deadly force incident it would raise some eyebrows.
That's interesting. Body armor seems purely defensive in nature - no harm done to the BG if you can break contact without firing - while just a firearm requires hurting or killing the BG to end the encounter. But I guess the combination of armor with a firearm gives the wrong impression. I would not want to give up one for the other. Sounds like body armor has not reached the point of being comfortable enough or inexpensive enough for the average citizen so I guess I'll just have to continue to rely on my superior shooting skills. There's one service that Hollywood has been doing for us - and that is teaching the BG's to hold the gun incorrectly when they shoot.
Avidshooter (Texas)
"The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits." -- Plutarch
lmao!
Banned
That is a good analysis. I don't see how wearing body armor could be construed as play COP or looking for trouble, I would think that open carry would be more likely to be considered as such. Alot of executives and political figures wear concealable body armor. Are they all looking for trouble?
Or here's food for thought, what was Rick Davis's occupation when he decided to design body armor?
He was a pizza delivery driver,
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