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Body Armor

jimwyant

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Jul 8, 2006
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342
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Mebane, North Carolina, USA
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Does anyone here, excluding LEO or military while on duty, wear body armor on a regular basis? I have a level IIIA vest that I wore from time to time until my waistline outgrew it, and I am considering the purchase of a level IIA or II vest in my new size. I was wondering what the general consensus is here.

I don't go out looking for a fight, and in fact, I have never been in a real physical altercation in my adult life. I have had some training over the years, military, LE (although I never entered the profession), etc., but have never needed to use it, thank God. Maybe if I had, I wouldn't be so paranoid. One of my biggest concerns is that I am forbidden by policy to even have my weapon on the property where I work. There are no neighboring parking lots that I can use, so either I break the policy and risk losing my job, or I go completely unprotected, except for my bare hands, which remain unproven in real combat. Others have posted here about working on military installations, or in the criminal-safe zones of DC and MD. Many states have laws that enhance penalties if one uses body armor during the commission of a crime, but I don't think any prohibit it under normal circumstances.

I'm sure this isn't the only example of this kind of behavior, but I can't forget the Akron pizza store beating video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu0O1VNZWeE&search=beating%20akron and the shocking realization that this video impressed upon me about the world that we now live in. Hopefully, had the victim in this video been OC'ing, the incident would have never happened. At least, it may have been defused before it escalated to the point that he was left in a bleeding ball on the floor. However, a visible weapon is not a complete deterrent, as proven by the recent incident in Centerville where the individual was relieved of his OC weapon.

Am I being paranoid? It isn't paranoia if they really are out to get you, right?
 

cs9c1

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Jun 17, 2006
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Unless I end up in Law Enforcement when I retire, I got enough of body armor in Iraq that my shoulder and back will ever want:?. If the situation called for it I am sure I would. I cant imagine that the civilian armor weighs any thing like ACH, and IBA with SAPPI plates.:p
 

jimwyant

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My concealable IIIA vest is about five pounds with the sternum plate, but I borrowed a friend's level II, and I was shocked at how light and flexible it was. Maybe two and a half pounds, and it was actually reasonably comfortable. I suspect the Iraq gear you mentioned weighs in at closer to 15 pounds, and no, I wouldn't consider wearing that as a civilian as long as they aren't rioting in the streets.
 

357luvr

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Jul 10, 2006
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Barboursville, Virginia, USA
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The only time I wear my vest (IIIA) is when I'm traveling long distances. My car is much less than reliable and I have to face the fact that I may have to hitch a ride with a stranger. Either that or walk for days. I travel to ohio sometimes to visit a friend (Go Buckeye's) and I sometimes travel to richmond for various reasons. I get lost pretty easily in both those areas and any time I'm traveling to an unknown neighborhood/area, I wear my vest. I can't OC 24/7 for various reasons and my philosophy is that if I'm going to get shot, I'm gonna live long enough to take that gun away and shoot the s.o.b. lol

As far as the video, I think the most disturbing part was that no one did a thing to help the victim.
 

Reverend73

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Jul 22, 2006
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Gainesville, VA
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Well I for one dont care what state or facility or who's parking lot or whatever I am in, my vehicle is never unarmed. Ever.I will leave it at that.
 

VApatriot

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Burke/Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
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jimwyant wrote:
Am I being paranoid? It isn't paranoia if they really are out to get you, right?

We all know that people get robbed, mugged, and shot sometimes, so youwould bejust stupid if you thought that it could never happen to you. And of course you never plan when something bad may happen to you, so it is not paranoia at all.It is simply taking the necessary steps to make sure you are ready if the unexpected should happen. Just like having home owner's insurance.
 

Thors_Mitersaw

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About body armor...

  • what do the different classes mean exactly?
  • what of these armoured jackets? they look like regular jackets but are supposed to be armoured
  • is body armor in need of any sort of maitanance?
  • what about if you ever end up taking a bullet with it... doe sit require repair? CAN it be repaired? or is needing repair mean it was penetrated?
 

Grapeshot

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May 21, 2006
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Saw a video on new liquid filled, magnetically enhanced body armor being developed. It is not damaged when impacted, in fact the harder the impact, the stronger it gets. Looked extremely effective but will surely be prohibitively expensive for most. Most ballistic vests are only effective against low velocity (hand gun) ammunition. The higher the level, the more protection offered. Yes there are sport jackets and the like that offer some ballistic protection and generally they cannot be repaired as the damage is done (so to speak) when they do their job. One example can be seen at http://www.bulletproofme.com/Ballistic_Clothing.shtml
It costs approx. $870.00
Yata hey
 

norahc

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May 20, 2006
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Washington, Washington, USA
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Thors_Mitersaw wrote:
About body armor...
  • what do the different classes mean exactly?
  • what of these armoured jackets? they look like regular jackets but are supposed to be armoured
  • is body armor in need of any sort of maitanance?
  • what about if you ever end up taking a bullet with it... doe sit require repair? CAN it be repaired? or is needing repair mean it was penetrated?
As to your first question, the different classes are explained in more depth than you'll ever care to read here: http://www.nlectc.org/txtfiles/BodyArmorStd/NIJSTD010103.html
To put it simply, the lower the rating number, the less it will protect you. However, every thing is a balance. The trade off here is that lower protection generally means less weight and less cost, and more comfort.

I personally have no knowledge of the armoured jackets, but I'm assuming that you're referring to something like was worn in "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man."

Yes, body armor needs maintenance but it is nothing complicated. The carriers need to be washed periodically, and the ballistic panels also need to be cleaned. Each vest will have specific instructions on care and maintenance.

No, it is not possible to repair vests once they've been struck with bullets or damaged in any way. As a matter of fact, the vests are only rated to stop the FIRST shot, not any subsequent shots to the exact same place. Also be aware that they are not designed to protect against sharp objects such as knives and screwdrivers.

Another thing to remember is that if you're ever shot while wearing a vest it does not mean that you won't be injured. You're still going to take some serious blunt trauma to the chest area, which may cause anything from a bruise to broken ribs to death.

Hope this helps.
 

possumboy

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Jun 14, 2006
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Dumfries, Virginia, USA
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I remember reading that unless you are a LEO, body armor is illegal - well I think in DC anyway. You may need to check where you are going, what is allowed, and up to what level is allowed (if any).

:banghead:Because we all know that only criminals will be wearing it to protect themselves. Why would you need body armor in DC? Guns are illegal... :banghead:
 

longwatch

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Are you sure about DC? I've been looking through the code and can't find any restrictions on body armor.
 

Thors_Mitersaw

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norahc wrote:
Thors_Mitersaw wrote:
About body armor...
  • what do the different classes mean exactly?
  • what of these armoured jackets? they look like regular jackets but are supposed to be armoured
  • is body armor in need of any sort of maitanance?
  • what about if you ever end up taking a bullet with it... doe sit require repair? CAN it be repaired? or is needing repair mean it was penetrated?
As to your first question, the different classes are explained in more depth than you'll ever care to read here: http://www.nlectc.org/txtfiles/BodyArmorStd/NIJSTD010103.html
To put it simply, the lower the rating number, the less it will protect you. However, every thing is a balance. The trade off here is that lower protection generally means less weight and less cost, and more comfort.

I personally have no knowledge of the armoured jackets, but I'm assuming that you're referring to something like was worn in "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man."

Yes, body armor needs maintenance but it is nothing complicated. The carriers need to be washed periodically, and the ballistic panels also need to be cleaned. Each vest will have specific instructions on care and maintenance.

No, it is not possible to repair vests once they've been struck with bullets or damaged in any way. As a matter of fact, the vests are only rated to stop the FIRST shot, not any subsequent shots to the exact same place. Also be aware that they are not designed to protect against sharp objects such as knives and screwdrivers.

Another thing to remember is that if you're ever shot while wearing a vest it does not mean that you won't be injured. You're still going to take some serious blunt trauma to the chest area, which may cause anything from a bruise to broken ribs to death.

Hope this helps.
thank you very much. It helped alot. I have seen stab resistant armors advertised before
 

John Pierce

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May 5, 2006
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possumboy wrote:
I remember reading that unless you are a LEO, body armor is illegal - well I think in DC anyway. You may need to check where you are going, what is allowed, and up to what level is allowed (if any).

:banghead:Because we all know that only criminals will be wearing it to protect themselves. Why would you need body armor in DC? Guns are illegal... :banghead:
That isn't true. There are few restrictions. If you are a felon, then Federal law prohibits you from purchasing or possessing body armor.

United States Law 18USC931 provides that: (a) In General. — Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall be unlawful for a person to purchase, own, or possess body armor, if that person has been convicted of a felony that is — (1) a crime of violence (as defined in section 16); or (2) an offense under State law that would constitute a crime of violence under paragraph (1) if it occurred within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.


Connecticut also prohibits the sale of body armor unless the sale is face-to-face (law enforcement, government and military excluded).

Several other states (like NY) are actively trying to prohibit sale of body armor to civilians but have not yet done so.

Some states (like VA) make wearing body armor DURING A CRIME an additional offense, but peaceful ownership is not affected.

Hope this helps.
 

Sailorwatson

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Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
100
Location
Walker, Michigan, USA
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I have been considering getting one. The security company I work for will not let an employee work an armed position unless the guard have one. Where is the best place to purchase one?
 

John Pierce

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May 5, 2006
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Sailorwatson wrote:
Where is the best place to purchase one?
I purchased my last couple of vests at Galls

http://www.galls.com/

One of my vests was a Zylon and when the Zylon fiasco went down, they replaced it free of charge. Good people to work with.
 

jimwyant

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
342
Location
Mebane, North Carolina, USA
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If you're on a budget, consider these guys:

http://www.wesecureyou.com/index.cfm/fa/categories.main/parentcat/19872

They sell new Point Blank armor and what they call "Previously Deployed" (used) body armor for a significant amount less than new armor. Their inventory varies on the used vests, of course. Right now, they only have Level II, but I bought a Level IIIA vest from them last year, as did a shooting buddy. Vest manufacturers only warranty their products for five years, so some agencies reissue vests every five years. Short of serious abuse (being shot, submerssion in water, etc.) the ballistic material will last pretty much forever. My $0.02 - FWIW
 
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