Body Armor in the News

With everything going on in the United States, we’d like to shine a light on the good stuff. 

Currently, there are talks of Facebook banning ads showing body armor and holster sales, stories about people at the riots, and various criminal activities involving the wearing, supplying, or possession of body armor. But today, we want to talk about the good things happening in the news as it pertains to body armor. So, instead of focusing on the bad, here are a few things happening that we can all be proud of.

Body Armor News

While the news is currently pointing out all the bad stuff related to the illegal use of body armor, we’re going to focus on the legal use of body armor, more specifically, how it’s saving the lives of innocent people. 

There’s too much negativity in the news; what’s less negative is the number of men and women working for our communities and getting to go home at the end of their shift because body armor saved their life. 

BODY ARMOR RUN FOR HEROES

Since we’re focusing all the good news revolving around body armor, a group at the Nesquehoning VFW Post 8008 is doing its part to promote body armor in a positive light.

Post 8008 donated $1000 to Project 9233 in Buffalo, New York, which is using body armor for good. Each year, on Memorial day, they host a run for a fallen Special Forces Operator. Participants are asked to wear body armor, just like those who work in jobs like our fallen heroes. And that money then goes to the family of the fallen soldier.

This year, the money will be going to the family of Nicholas Shepperty for a monument commemorating his service. Shepperty passed away last year during an airborne operations training exercise.

K-9 BODY ARMOR

Among the many positive things, there’s also a lot happening for our K-9s and their ballistic protection. If you recall, we wrote an article not too long ago about a remarkable young boy in our back yard who raised money to donate ballistic vests for our K-9s in law enforcement.

Another non-profit, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., donated bullet/stab-resistant vests to various K-9 units across the country. Most recently, to Ivan at North Huntington Township Police Department, who is scheduled to receive his vest sometime in the next few weeks.

Ballistic Protection Saves Officers’ Lives

Ballistic protection isn’t just protecting the lives of our K-9 partners; it’s saving the lives of our officers as well. If you haven’t heard, there was a police officer shot on Christmas Eve in NY. The officer was working the night schedule, so he was expected to work into Christmas morning. And like most families, they expected to see him walk through the door on Christmas morning. 

Luckily, the officer was wearing his body armor because otherwise, he might not have made it home. On Christmas Eve, when the officer responded to a 911 call that went out at 9 pm, he was shot in the back. He survived because he was wearing his gear and wearing it properly.

OFFICER SURVIVES SIX GUN SHOTS, CREDITS BODY ARMOR

Another officer who credits his body armor survived being shot six times, only a few days before Christmas. Of those six shots, one was directly aimed at his chest. The situation could have and most likely would have ended in the officer’s death. But, once again, the officer survived because he was wearing the proper PPE, his ballistic vest.

And the list goes on; an officer saved in Florida, another in Michigan, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, California.

Survival Rate Wearing Body Armor

In 2019 there were 2,801 officers, not including the military, were shot, with 48 of those resulting in death while in the line of duty and 39 from gunshots. Of those 39, 19 officers were not confirmed to be wearing their body armor. Would they have survived had they been wearing their ballistic protection? Maybe. It should be noted that ballistics protection is simply a game of increasing the odds. 

For those who were wearing their PPE and shot in the chest or back, it’s quite likely the only reason they lived was that the round was incapable of penetrating their vital organs. The officers were wearing their body armor, and they were wearing it correctly.

WHY YOU SHOULD WEAR BODY ARMOR

Unfortunately, and I’ve been a witness to it, people will forgo body armor’s discomfort by simply not wearing it. They might have it on at the morning/evening brief or guard mount, but as soon as leadership turns their heads, they’ll take off this piece of life-saving equipment. And while we can’t make anyone wear body armor, we can be sure that wearing ballistic protection does increase the chance of survival. 

I’d much rather be a part of the survival statistic than the death statistic. 

You might get away with not wearing your gear in the sense that you don’t get disciplined by your commanding officer. However, you’re less likely to survive if shot without the proper ballistic protection. And if you’re shot, and it’s found you weren’t wearing an issued/mandated vest, then you’re likely forfeiting your disability benefits (if you do survive) or your death benefits to your family if you don’t survive. 

Your life insurance probably won’t pay out; any state benefits that would have to help your wife or husband pay for the funeral probably won’t pay out either. Why? Because you were given the equipment that could have saved your life but chose not to use it. And that choice has more consequences beyond your life.

ShotStop’s® Solution to Body Armor

Luckily, here at ShotStop®, we’ve created lightweight, comfortable body armor our brothers and sisters wearing a uniform can be confident and comfortable wearing. We don’t want you to risk your life because the vest is just too uncomfortable. We want to be a part of the good news in helping save lives.

We take a lot of pride in ensuring those fighting against injustice are protected, have the necessary maneuverability, and maintain a level of comfort when working those all too common 12+ hr shifts in ballistic vests.

If you’re interested in purchasing ballistic protection for your unit or department, please, email us at sales@protectorcapital.com; you’ll be glad you did.