Body Armor for the home

[Rob Pincus]

Good Point, Tom.

Several companies sell collapsible ballistic protection shields that are sold to Executive Protection as well as security companies every day. In this field the idea of putting clients in soft body armor is also standard practice under certain circumstances. Ballistic "blankets" designed for use in rooms or vehicles are also common.

Meanwhile:

I used my usually effective Google-Skills for the last 10-15 minutes and could find NO law barring the ownership of soft body armor by non-felons who are not in the process of committing a crime anywhere in the United States. Connecticut has a weird law restricting sales to non-military or LE personnel to only those which are "Face to Face". So, (felons aside) I couldn't find any restriction from having a vest, shield or blanket stashed in your safe room in your home for the use of you or your family.

If anyone has a reference to an actual law or ordinance contrary to what I didn't find, please post here!  The absence of evidence of a law in my cursory search certainly doesn't mean that there isn't one somewhere, so check with your local District Attorney's office or a lawyer (be sure to get an actual law/ordinance cited if they tell you you can't have it).

-RJP

[Rob10ring]

Rob, great post! What do you think about the ballistic backpacks that they are selling for kids? I imagine that one of these could be strapped on backwards real fast in a pinch. Hopefully, I'd never really have to have my daughters wearing them. I have an Art History book from back in college that's near 5 inches thick and 15 pounds. Would that possibly stop a bullet if it were in a backwards pack? Pretty cheesy, but I've always wondered. The weight may even absorb part of the shock. 

http://www.mychildspack.com/

[Pathfinder]

Patriots makes the point that after TEOTWAWKI all the smart people will wear vests 24/7.

After reading Patriots, I thought about the utility of using Kevlar blankets on the inside of outer walls in a retreat location. Of course, I don't have a retreat, and my current home is almost completely indefensible making Kevlar pointless. Not to mention the fact that I don't have any cash for Kevlar. Oh well, it's just a thought . . .   

[HAWKFISH]

Also in some states and municipalities body armor is legal for civilians

Why do you feel this way cookie62? Threat of felons and badguys using them for no-good? Would it be okay is the honest..law-abbiding citizens used it in their home? Would it be okay if police have them and everyone else not? Would that be right or fair? Should we fear the police? Should the police fear the honest civilian? I have family that work in law enforcement..so I understand both sides.. I just wondered why the frowny.. 

[ericire12]

Rob, great post!

All of his posts have been great posts!

[Sponsor]

[cooptire]

Why do you feel this way cookie62? Threat of felons and badguys using them for no-good? Would it be okay is the honest..law-abbiding citizens used it in their home? Would it be okay if police have them and everyone else not? Would that be right or fair? Should we fear the police? Should the police fear the honest civilian? I have family that work in law enforcement..so I understand both sides.. I just wondered why the frowny.. 

I took his post to be a "mis-type" and that he really meant illegal. Of course I could just be mis-reading it. 

[tombogan03884]

I took his post to be a "mis-type" and that he really meant illegal. Of course I could just be mis-reading it. 

That was my understanding as well and it was reinforced by Rob's post. That's why I type ONE FINGERED. 

[1776 Rebel]

If anyone has a reference to an actual law or ordinance contrary to what I didn't find, please post here!  The absence of evidence of a law in my cursory search certainly doesn't mean that there isn't one somewhere, so check with your local District Attorney's office or a lawyer (be sure to get an actual law/ordinance cited if they tell you you can't have it).

-RJP

Well I know for sure that after the Hollywood shootout it was PROPOSED to make POSSESSION of a vest a FELONY in NYC. Don't know if in fact it ever passed.  Armoring a car in NY requires registration. But seeing that slingshots are also a class A Misdemeanor (1 yr in jail 10K fine) it wouldn't surprise me.

Also poor PhilW in Australia is out of luck...

update:

NY State penal code
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Section 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.
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So now I am thinking that an aggressive DA would want to tag this on to a home owner who shoots an invader.
Yuk.... please beam me up Scotty.

[Rob Pincus]

They also keep proposing "shall issue" in Jersey....  .

******

I haven't seen those backpacks before... not a horrible idea.


Going back to what Ratcatcher said, it is true that concealable vests, or any that are going to be worn for extended periods, should be fitted for the best coverage and comfort, but any ballasitic panel can offer protection. The main issue on the effectiveness of armor in terms of fitting is that the armor itself cannot be "pushed" out of the path of the bullet.... in which case it would not have been pentrated, but would also not protect the person on the other side.

When I took over operations at Valhalla there was an area that was protected by some custom made 16' long, 4' wide level III ballistic blankets that hung from the ceiling and overlapped. One of the concerns was that the overlapping areas could fail. Shortly after examining this area, it was redesigned and the blankets were removed (side note, I gave a couple of them to some SF units that came in for predeployment training back in the days when they were having trouble getting their HMMVs uparmored.....).
These types of blankets can be ordered in just about any size or shape to suit your needs... including inserts for briefcases, bakcpacks, whatever.

-RJP

[tombogan03884]

How do those blankets function ? I have heard of them but never SEEN one, do you get thumped but not penetrated or do they need some sort of stiff backing?