Body Armor For Civilians....

[mcdonl]

Hi there. Should I buy body armor?

Leroy

 

[browningguy]

I don't own any, but I don't see why anyone would have a problem with other people having it? If I had a job requiring me to go into bad areas I might have some myself.

 

[TexasRifleman]

just cannot see why a civilian would own it?

Ever been a Range Officer or handgun instructor?

Even RO'ing an IPSC match here and there has made me consider getting some.

If I taught newbies handgun shooting on a regular basis I'd have some without a doubt.

If I hunted on public lands I might consider it as well.

I assume you have home and car insurance? What's the difference?

 

[runrabbitrun]

Hi there. I was just curious why a civilian would own body armor.

Perhaps because they want to?

I was just looking at body amour myself yesterday at a local shop.
Did I buy it? No, but if I wanted to, who the hell's business is it if I do.

Does it make me automatically some sort of domestic terrorist
if I want to own self defense products?

What the hell is going on in this country that some think
we are all out to 'GET someone' just because we want to be prepared
for what ever reason we feel the need to be prepared. :banghead:

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Why own body armor? Why own a fire extinguisher or a first aid kit? Or boots with steel soles? Hummm . . . . Oh, I dunno, safety? Yeah, personal safety in a dangerous world sounds good to me.

 

[mcdonl]

Whoa... slow down people. I could care less if you wore body armor and a @#%$@% tutu... I never said there was anything wrong with it, or passed judgment on anyone. Just asked the question because I didnt know the reasons why someone may own it.

Rifle man, no I have not been any of those things but I do understand why they would want it.

I guess someone should lock this thread before there is a run on tissues to rival the run on ammo.

Leroy

 

[c5_nc]

I'm shopping for some now. Do I need it? That is relative opinion. I probably don't need 50k rounds of ammo or 15 .22lr rifles either, but I have them. I actually think its very usefull. If you have to pick up a gun and head outside your house to investigate a noise, or beleive someone is actively trying to break in your home, its simply a safety precausion. Fragmentation vests for handgun rounds I have seen used for $45 locally, so its not a big investment either. I'm going to buy the ballistic plates (the ones rated so you don't have to use soft armor in addition) and carrier instead.

 

[ArmedBear]

A gun can give you an advantage over no gun in self-defense situations. But it won't keep you from getting killed or crippled for life by a bullet.

I don't own body armor, but if I get some, it will be for the SAME REASON that a cop or anyone else wears it: to make my body more resistant to bullets so I have a better chance of surviving an encounter with a violent dirtbag.

 

[mcdonl]

Armedbear... would you wear it as you would your CCW?

 

[TexasRifleman]

I guess someone should lock this thread before there is a run on tissues to rival the run on ammo.

Leroy

LOL. I didn't get the impression you were against them, just asking why.

It's a reasonable question I think.

 

[Cowgunner]

I'm a civilian, and I wear my armor since I'm an armored car guard. To be honest if I didn't have that job I wouldn't have bought the vest. Though it is nice to have around if someone decides to pull a home invasion where I live.

 

[ArmedBear]

Armedbear... would you wear it as you would your CCW?

Probably not. Where I live and go, it's ridiculously safe. I carry in town because I can and I appreciate RKBA enough to want to exercise it. Sticking a gun in my pocket is a LOT more compatible with most of my life than wearing body armor would be. If I had Cowgunner's job, that cost/benefit balance would shift, obviously.

Everything has costs and benefits, and individuals' lives are worth enough that they have the right to decide questions like this for themselves. Every time we wake up, we could get killed by something. It's up to us to decide what risks are acceptable, and what countermeasures are worth paying for.

If I were to regularly spend time in places where I really had to worry about getting shot, as opposed to attacked in some other way by a human or animal, that balance of costs and benefits would be different.

I might wear body armor hunting during the general deer season, for example.

 

[runrabbitrun]

Yea it may be a reasonable question
just out of curiosity I suppose, but come on... a poll?

It's one of those 'well duh' questions if you ask me.

Kind of like a Brady question:
Why do you need that big black gun with the thing that goes up?

Sorry OP carry on.

 

[CapnMac]

why civilian armor?

Well, first reason woulf be for when you have to go to palces where you cannot be armed (but might ought to be).

Like, if I had to go to Federal Grand Jury duty down in Houston. Not so much inside th ecourthouse as getting to the fool thing. No sallyport for jurors, either, sad to say.

Or the night in the cheap motel on the outskirts of Atlanta, where I wanted a pasgt vest and hat sleep in just in case my room caught a riccochet.

Second reason is different. It's because there are politicians who want to take the right way from me. But, given the hypocritical actions of too many of our politicos, that becomes an un-sustainable reflex.

 

[mcdonl]

rabbit... it wasnt that clear to me, and even though there have been some good reasons such as the RO... there have been no compelling reasons to buy it... in my situation.

As for home invasions, bumps in the night. I think there is barely enough time to get your gun, let alone donning body armor. How many times have we seen the argument "the best gun is the one on your hip...."

Why you need the EBR? Thats easy, sporting purposes, self defense... cause we can, etc... not so easy with body armor. I get the because we can part, but other then rifleman and cowgunner I see no reason to get it.

I own things I didnt know I needed because people more in the know explained why I needed it. Same thing... just looking for info.

Poll says 80% of people who are civilians dont think that "because they can" is a good enough reason.

 

[ArmedBear]

mcdonl-

You have to understand, I also live in one of the few cities in the US where the Social Contract is still pretty functional. I haven't always, and most people don't.

Furthermore, if I were at the grocery store and someone actually did pull out a gun and try to rob the place, I'd bet he'd have ten bullets in him before you could say, "Man, I didn't know how many people around here carry concealed."

 

[CWL]

I have no objections to civilian bodyarmor, just don't find the need for it myself.

 

[cmup273747]

..

I know a lot of landlords that collect them when the go and get the rent from the hood....

 

[mcdonl]

Furthermore, if I were at the grocery store and someone actually did pull out a gun and try to rob the place, I'd be he'd have ten bullets in him before you could say, "Man, I didn't know how many people around here carry concealed."

lol... nice... sounds like Maine...

 

[cmup273747]

oh by the way....a lot of places down her in South Florida...WILL not sell it to a CIVILIAN....mainly because some use it for robberies...and crime related activities...

Personally I think if it was a lot cheaper...every gun owned would own some...WHY NOT? But it is very expensive. I was issued some for a while and when I was off duty...I would keep it in my personal car just in case something came up...

Hey who knows where this COUNTRY is heading...down her in South Florida...not MIAMI but close enough...when the hurricanes come around...people are three meals away from killing someone....sh*t the gas stations is one of the most dangerous places to be before or after a hurricane...

My uncle back in hurricane Andrew went home to his Miami Home to find a bunch of Black Males stealing from his property....it turned out in a gun fight...and on of the guys was killed...he could have easily been shot...it might have been nice to have body armor...

 

[mcdonl]

chr.... good story. Glad it worked out well for your uncle.

I live in Maine, so the threat is pretty low. That plays into my not being able to see a good reason for it.

www.unclehenrys.com - in the firearms section there was 2 vests someone would trade for a 9mm pistol. (Sort by newest....)

I have more 9mm pistols then I have ammo for... lol (Thats only one...)

Leroy

 

[FiREhAwk]

I have a vest that was given to me. It was used as a test vest, as there are 5 .22 holes on one side and 5 .357 holes on the other with fadded pen markings stating caliber and I think other information. It needs new straps but the bullets didnt make it far. The 22's had no penetration but ripped the outher layer. The .357 went through several layers of the "loose" layers but didnt make it to the "hard" inner part. As far as why someone would own one, I couldnt care less, the less restrictions we have in our lives the better. I dont know that I would pay several hundered dollars for a new one, but I say that about alot of things that I have ended up with.

 

[jnyork]

If a guy wants body armor and has the money to buy it, then what's the problem. Not for me, but that's just me.

I think it is incredibly sad that there are people in this country who live where they feel they might need body armor. If I found myself in an area like that I would be seeing it in my rear view mirror as fast as I could drive .

 

[JohnBT]

If all the honest folk bailed and fled then who would remain to fight and reclaim our cities? Do you think everyone should simply flee and hide in the woods somewhere?

John

 

[Superlite27]

Bullets hurt.