Body Armor

[Doc Holliday 1950]

Other than the Military and Police Officers, why would the average American citizen need to have body armor besides having the freedom to do so?
In some of the mass killings, the BGs wore BA.

This isn't about how much ammo or how many weapons you have.

Doc

[zoomie]

Because they want to. We don't need a need.

The BGs drove a car, too. I've got two of those. Probably don't need both of those. The bad guys wore running shoes to get away faster. I've got a few pairs of those - more than I need. Your implication is a scary slippery slope.

[Doc Holliday 1950]

yes it is. BA is meant to have one purpose. That purpose is to stop a slug.
Of all the people that I know who carry, not one have BA.

[Doc Holliday 1950]

I re-thought part of my first post. If I lived or worked in a very violent neighborhood or a crime ridden area in an inner city, or some combo like that, then yes I would definitely think very hard about acquiring and wearing BA.
Other than that, I don't see it.
Doc

[Mobuck]

Body armor is useless if you get hit in the head, armpit, or groin/thigh area.
FWIW A lot of the reports of bad guys wearing "body armor" are most likely some sort of "tactical" or ammo vest.
Body armor is heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable.

[manta49]

I don't know why anyone would wear body armor, unless their job put them at a significant risk of needing one. But some people are that risk averse that it comforts them.

[A pause for the COZ]

Body armor is useless if you get hit in the head, armpit, or groin/thigh area.
FWIW A lot of the reports of bad guys wearing "body armor" are most likely some sort of "tactical" or ammo vest.
Body armor is heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable.

True but it can be very effective if your hit in the chest.

I have a set nothing serious lev2a front and back with a lev3a hard plate in the front.
I added a vest to keep all my home defense gear in one spot and it had armor pockets. Armor is cheap so why not?
Its not heavy, its not bulky and it does not changes my vest at all.
Sitting on a chair next to the bed. I am in it in two seconds. Every thing I need in one package.

For CC I dont think so. My goals are different. CC I am trying to avoid conflict.
Home Defense I am most likely investigating some thing around the place.
Sticking my nose into a shed or some thing.

[9x18_Walther]

FWIW A lot of the reports of bad guys wearing "body armor" are most likely some sort of "tactical" or ammo vest.

I'm wondering if the OP brought this up due to the recent Oregon shooting. The BATFE indicated that the perpetrator had a flak jacket that contained steel plates.

[OcSpeed]

I own and wear because;
I can
I guide hunts, sometimes with people who don't always think
like my carry gun, I prefer to have and not need

[dakota.potts]

I've always thought that walking around wearing body armor under your clothes everywhere would be a little ridiculous, but to some people it's a logical extension of the same preparedness for which they would carry a handgun. If they carry a handgun, they may expect to need to use it, so why not expect to need body armor, tourniquets, or any number of other useful things.

For most people who have Level III-IV hard body armor, it has more to do with militia and similar purposes than every day EDC. These are the same people who keep their rifle ready to go with a number of magazines for whatever calls. I sleep with my bedroom door locked, and I know I'd take the opportunity to throw on body armor if I needed to and had it ready. It's not a priority, but if it increases my chances, I'll take the opportunity. Who's to tell me I can't?

[Sharkbite]

I think a set of plates or even just soft armor makes sense to keep around. With events like the "Rodney King" and Ferguson riots being examples of stuff to prepare for.

Watching my town come apart on the news, id be happy i had some Armor to put on as i protected my home and Loved ones.

[drobs]

Damn Doc - 1st you question our need to carry firearms that hold more then 2 shots.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=567277

Now you're questioning our need to own body armor?



I want Body Armor during deer rifle sight-in at the local public shooting range.

[Doc Holliday 1950]

Drobs,
I, in no way are questioning the amount of ammo or the use of body armor any of us have or wear. My questions are legit.

In regards to using BA, re-read my 2nd and 3rd comments on it. As to ammo. If you are a wheel person what are you comfortable with and if you're a semi user what are you comfortable with. I am a wheel guy. As to BA, I have no need nor desire to have it. However, if I wanted a semi and/or BA, I'd get them because I can. Just like you and everyone else can if they want.

If these were bogus posts, then they would have died out immediately. But,
there was a lot of responses to the ammo post, over 4000 hits and 200+ responses so far.
These are serious questions put out there because these are very serious times.

[hartcreek]

If I lived in Seattle or Spokane or Tacoma I would be wearing BA every day. The carbon fiber vests are very light now days and not expensive.

http://www.ar500armor.com/carbon-nan...ody-armor.html

[manta49]

If I lived in Seattle or Spokane or Tacoma I would be wearing BA every day. The carbon fiber vests are very light now days and not expensive.

Is it that bad that there are areas in America were you feel the need to wear B/A. I don't know anyone here that wears B/A apart from some of duty security force members that are at real risk.

[guambra2001]

I have a carrier for plates, but I don't have plates yet. I'm buying my stuff as I can afford it. Now, I was thinking having some BA stuffed inside of a backpack would be a great idea, such as in a situation that if your running away it can provide a little protection and if you have to fight, then switch it to the front and do what you have to do.

[A pause for the COZ]

I have a carrier for plates, but I don't have plates yet. I'm buying my stuff as I can afford it. Now, I was thinking having some BA stuffed inside of a backpack would be a great idea, such as in a situation that if your running away it can provide a little protection and if you have to fight, then switch it to the front and do what you have to do.

They do and you can. They make some specifically for book bags and brief cases.

A cheap way to get some armor is to use Lev3A fiber glass wall plates cut to the size you want. Or just buy them on Ebay.
Thats what I use as the Lev 3 hard plate in my rig. Cost about 40 bucks.
They are pretty light too.
Just stick them in a back pack or what ever.

In a situation like this last school shooting. Use it to cover the vitals and run like heck!!! Or if your brave like that solder who rushed the guy. Put it between you and the attacker and rush him.
Certainly no guarantee of success. But under the circumstances.
A chip and a chair = a chance.

[kilimanjaro]

I think if you feel the need for body armor, you need body armor. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I've gone into situations with LEOs who are wearing the vest, while I've got nothing.

Don't own any, myself, but one of these days I'll see a steal of a deal on some and take up on it.

Face it, no one needs body armor, not even the cops, right up until the first round hits the fabric. Then you really, really need it. Just like the gun a lot of us carry concealed day in and day out. We don't need it, then we do.

[leadcounsel]

Strikes me as a lot of narrow thinking from the same crowd that presumably owns and carries guns for self defense.

[Double Naught Spy]

BA is meant to have one purpose. That purpose is to stop a slug.

A gun has one purpose. That is to shoot a slug. What a gun does not do well is to stop slugs intended to hit you.

Before I bought my own place, I wore body armor to the range because the range was the only place where anybody ever seemed to point loaded guns at me. We have body armor for home defense as well. And before anybody says that you won't have time to put on body armor for a home defense situation, that is simply not a factual statement. You may not have time to put it on, but there are a lot of 911 calls where people had plenty of time to perform a lot of tasks before intruders gained entry. If I have time to put it on, I am putting it on.

Strikes me as a lot of narrow thinking from the same crowd that presumably owns and carries guns for self defense.

Yes.

[Skans]

For the same reason the average American citizen may need a gun - defense. Body armor never hurt anyone - it's strictly for defensive purposes.

I bet those people defending their homes and businesses during the Fergeson or Baltimore riots wish they had body armor. Most likely you (or most folks) will never need body armor; in the same vein, most folks will never need a gun.

If body armor were to be outlawed, there is no way to stop people from making their own. You'd have to outlaw the materials and even steel plates. Give me a sewing machine and a gas welder and I could probably figure out how to make body armor.

[smee78]

I would love to pick some up just to have if I ever needed it. I also would hope I will never need any of my guns to defend my family but you never know. God bless our freedoms or whats left of them.

[ronl]

I have level IIIA soft plates and level III hard plates. I bought them for work, as I work in private security sometimes. I don't mind wearing the soft plates at all, as they are light and should defeat the majority of rounds likely to be encountered. (pistol rounds). The level III plates are rather heavy, as I chose metal plates vs. the ceramic or plastic ones. They're not as bulky as the others, but they are a few pounds heavier. I haven't used them yet, and hope I never have to. But hey,in my part time line of work it is a verifiable business expense, so why not have some just in case.

[A pause for the COZ]

Get R Done man!! I added a vest to keep all my home protection gear in one place.
hey this thing has pockets for Armor!!
So I added lev2a soft Kevlar front and back and a Lev3a hard plate in the front.





Gun, light, mags,Phone and Armor all in a package that sits on the back of a chair. On in two seconds.

[Targa]

I guide hunts, sometimes with people who don't always think-CENSORED-
like my carry gun, I prefer to have and not need

That makes sense. I know a few people that wear them to the public range because common sense isn't very common and people do really goofy things...