UK Children wearing body armor

[Mike O]

I don't know if this has been posted on THR or not, I normally lurk more than I post, but I thought it might be of interest:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1552956.ece

Excerpt:

One mother, whose 13-year-old daughter goes to a school where a pupil has been shot to death, has saved up to buy her child of the best vests available after she was targeted by a gang of older girls. She is now saving up for another vest for her 11-year-old daughter who has also been abused by the gang.

Too scared to give her or her daughter’s real name, the woman, a chemical engineer, explained why she felt she had to resort to buying body armour.

“My daughter is being attacked by girls who are much older than her and the problem is continuing. I have never seen them with a knife but you never know when they are going to use a gun or knife until it is too late.​

Notwithstanding the already beaten to death comments about firearms ownership in the UK, I find it appalling that in the case where there are identified gangs of children (I hate the term "Youths") that have assulted and continue to assault other children. There is no recourse to the Police, there is no attempt to prosecute? The mother is reduced to buying body armor?

Please tell me it isn't that bad, and this is just another soccer mom gone mad.

Thanks for listening (reading)

Mike

 

[ingram]

Soccer Mom gone mad..... When is the last time a teenage girl shot another in the U.K?

 

[SoCalShooter]

I thought the UK did not have guns. So why would she be worried about her child being shot? Also that vest ain't gonna be much good against a decent knife or protect her much from a beating. Is it true that youth violence has gone up in the UK in recent years?

 

[vta33]

Political correctness is the norm now in the UK. The criminals are the ones receiving sympathy from the courts and gov't and not the victims. Every month I read yet another bizarre story from the UK such as the one you posted.

 

[Starter52]

What a joke. Go back in a month and you'll find that "body armor" collecting dust in the closet.

 

[Leonovicz]

Their children's lives are in danger and they lead their children from behind into the wild? How warped have they become?

 

[Rem700SD]

I'm seeing that kid coming home in less than a month sans body armour. If they can beat her up and take her lunch money...

Dan

 

[Ninja42]

I thought the UK did not have guns. So why would she be worried about her child being shot?

Just because guns arent legal here in Europe, it dosent mean that no one is armed. It is quite ironic, but where I live, people in the "criminal enviroments" have pretty easy acces guns smuggled into the county from the east European countries, while law arbeiding citizens such as myself usually dont have guns. Its not that I fear walking on the street, but getting shot is an actual risk if I am caught in a shoot out between two gangs ect, which is not all that uncommon. Homemade .22 'pen guns' are also quite popular amongst criminals, though not as popular as knives.. And I dont think that it is much diffrent in the UK.

Add that to the fact that the average weatern european have never seen a gun in their life. 90% of all people thinks that getting shot means that you die, but body armor (normally refered to as "bullet proof vests") will save your life. While you guys might know that such a vest will only offer minimal protection if any, an english soccer mom will have absolutely no knowledge in that field, and automatically assume that such a vest will render her children safe from bullets.

 

[Fosbery]

Ninja, I think he was joking Everytime someone posts about a shooting in the UK there are at least half a dozen near identical comments along the lines of "this can't be true, guns are banned there!"

This is just a paranoid mother. The chances of getting shot in the UK are close to nil. And it's more likely to be the police pulling the trigger than anyone else. But if the girl wants to wear body armour, good for her I guess.

At least this does show that ordinary people are willing to take safety into their own hands rather than begging the state for protection.

 

[thrasher64]

“The 13-year-old’s mother bought the most expensive vest we have, it will stop a bullet from a 45 Magnum but it is the lightest one we have."