• You are using the old Black Responsive theme. We have installed a new dark theme for you, called UI.X. This will work better with the new upgrade of our software. You can select it at the bottom of any page.

Are vests legal?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Just for the record, in Australia, body armour is a "prohibited weapon" and totally illegal for any "ordinary" civilian to own. Ownership (not even use) will have you in court on an illegal firearms charge.
 
Armor was too expensive as well as illegal for medevil serfs to ever obtain. Top armorers were also protected and controlled. Many weapons were banned or controlled. Crossbow, firearm etc...


If a State prohibits the ownership of body armor - that speaks volumes about their intent.
 
Overkill

I see no reason to wear armor to the range. The shooting ranges I go to are among the safest places I know. Just keep your eyes open, and leave if you see someone engaging in unsafe gun handling.

I've been hit by bullet splatter/splash too many times to count, by the way (the inevitable result of shooting lead bullets at steel targets, or paper targets on steel stands). I've been hit in the hand, arm, leg, and even the cheek, and some of them were forceful enough to break the skin or leave a mark. While it stings, it's no big deal unless it catches you in the eye. Of course, that's why you always wear a good pair of glasses.
 
I once talked to a LEO that was accidentlly shot at a range by another LEO that fired a round through the divider between the shooting lanes. He was hit in the torso but was wearing a vest that stopped the bullet.
 
It only takes one kuncklehead to sweep you with his muzzle while he is setting up.....................
 
dude, i'm in the army, we wear vests everywhere. they are heavy, hot, and uncomfortable. they also dont let you get into a good shooting position, with either a rifle or a pistol. and if you shoot for more than say..20 minutes standing up they will smoke your balls. i'm talking about the big plates(levelIII?), not the second chance stuff, never worked with that which seems more reasonable. as previously stated getting a ricochet at a range is a very small probability.

C-grunt, how far away was the refrigerator when this happened?
 
Here in CT, you can only buy it face-to-face, or go to another state and buy it. Mail-order sales are prohibited.
 
You tend to get what you pay for, whether it is guns or body armor.
 
Can someone explain the ratings?

For example, I see the III offers more protection than the II. If there is a bullet the III can stop, but the II is not rated for, does that mean wearing a II will offer no protection against that bullet? Will a II slow down the bullet so less energy is transfered if the bullet penetrates the vest?

I think I would like a cheap all purpose vest that can stop the common handguns.
 
I don't think I can come up with a worse idea than "cheap body armour." If I buy body armour, it's because I think I might NEED it. And if I think I might need body armour, I'm not scrimping at all -- I'm gonna buy the best, whatever the cost.
 
I don't think I can come up with a worse idea than "cheap body armour." If I buy body armour, it's because I think I might NEED it. And if I think I might need body armour, I'm not scrimping at all -- I'm gonna buy the best, whatever the cost.
Click to expand...

Who knows when you will need it, and how much protection you will need.

I would want the cheap basic vest because I have no plans of getting shot, I don't forsee myself in a situation where I'l be in danger. The closest thing that comes to my mind is going to a range and having an accident happen. I figure some protection is better than no protection. Why spend $1000 when you probably will never need it, and if something happens the $300 vest will work fine? As long as the vest is rated then what's the difference?
 
http://www.bulletproofme.com/Ballistic_Protection_Levels.shtml

The cut and paste does not work well for this, but here it is:

Level I

.38 Special at 850 fps (feet per second)
(259 mps - meters per second

.22 at 1,050 fps
(320 mps) NOT RECOMMENDED
Early generation ballistic fibers, though bulkier, only stop fragmentation and low velocity pistol ammunition.

Sometimes PASGT army surplus flak jackets are passed off as “about Level II-A”, but in our tests 9 mm penetrated. Excellent riot gear or paintball equipment, but not recommended for pistol ballistic protection.

II-A
~16 layers of Kevlar® 129
9 mm FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) at ~1,090 fps
(332 mps)

.357 Magnum JSP (Jacketed Soft Point) at ~1,250 fps
(~381 mps). Minimum Recommended...

...for the vast majority of threats encountered on the street, though you would sustain more blunt trauma injury than Level II or III-A. The thinnest and best for concealability and comfort.

II
~ 22 layers Kevlar® 129
9 mm FMJ, at ~1,175 fps
(~358 mps)

.357 JSP at ~ 1,395 fps
(~425 mps). A great balance...

...between blunt trauma protection, versus cost, and thickness / comfort / concealability. Handles the blunt trauma of higher velocity +P rounds better.

What we recommend most often for concealable wear.

III-A
~30+ layers Kevlar® 129
9 mm FMJ at ~1,400 fps
(~427 mps)

.44 Magnum at ~1,400 fps
(~427 mps). 1,400 fps is to cover the velocity of 9 mm FMJ from a submachine gun.
The highest blunt trauma protection rating in soft body armor. The best for very high-risk situations to cover more of the uncommon or unusual threats.

Minimizes blunt trauma injury to allow more effective return fire.
 
NY Penal Law
§ 270.20 Unlawful wearing of a body vest.
1. A person is guilty of the unlawful wearing of a body vest when
acting either alone or with one or more other persons he commits any
violent felony offense defined in section 70.02 while possessing a
firearm, rifle or shotgun and in the course of and in furtherance of
such crime he wears a body vest.
2. For the purposes of this section a "body vest" means a
bullet-resistant soft body armor providing, as a minimum standard, the
level of protection known as threat level I which shall mean at least
seven layers of bullet-resistant material providing protection from
three shots of one hundred fifty-eight grain lead ammunition fired from
a .38 calibre handgun at a velocity of eight hundred fifty feet per
second.
The unlawful wearing of a body vest is a class E felony.





So, only if you're gonna be stupid is it illegal
 
Tangential question - where can one get flak jackets? I've never come across them for sale at gun shows, surplus shops, online auctions, etc. Are they just unobtainable or am I not looking in the right place?
 
Actually, they stop .22 no problem. And it also stopped .40 S&w, .45 acp and .45 LC too. The 9mm just barely made it through and the only one that would have been lethal was the .357 mag and the .44 mag.

Regular Flak jacket for fragmentation protection. Not body armor

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot15.htm
 
It's all about M5
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. Interesting stuff and the pilot plant in right in my home city!

Perhaps one day you could buy armor that uses a gel substance similar to cornflour and water but better that hardens upon impact that is wrapped in M5 or similar. This armor would flex with your movements and could fit tightly and use nano fabric to take away sweat and keep you cool - it could extend down to your elbows and upper thighs and would expand so you could take deep breaths without trouble.
 
I bought one

when I was working a job in Hunters Point in San Francisco-totally controlled by gangs, day & night. First night at work a teenage kid started shooting up a bus 20 feet from where we were working. I wasn't as much worried about him as I was the potential return fire from the bus victim. A laborer later got wounded during broad daylight on the same project from a stray round during a gang shootout.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
"Saved By The Vest" !!!
Replies
16
Views
1K
Combat-wombat
C
P
  • Locked
17 caliber "cop killer?"
2
Replies
34
Views
7K
Steamship Trooper
S
T
  • Locked
Anyone been hit with ricochet?
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
Amish_Bill
A
H
  • Locked
Body Armor illegal in SC?
Replies
1
Views
668
atblis
A
M
  • Locked
What Would You Have Done?
2
Replies
28
Views
1K
Warp
Warp
Back
Top