Body armor is making mass shootings more deadly

The mass shootings that occurred this month in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York had several things in common. The shooters were both 18 years old, both used semi-automatic weapons, and both were wearing tactical gear.To get more news about best bullet proof vests, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

Salvador Ramos, the attacker in Uvalde, muscled his way past a school police officer and into an elementary school wearing a “tactical vest carrier,” Texas police lieutenant Christopher Olivarez told reporters. On May 15, Payton S. Gendron killed 13 people at a Buffalo supermarket while wearing body armor, tactical gear, and a helmet. Ramos took 21 lives, 19 of them young children. Gendron, who targeted Black people and was shot at and hit by a retired police officer on the scene, killed 13. In a 180-page manifesto, he specifically cited procuring body armor to protect himself from armed security.
Military-style body armor is readily available in the US, and nonprofit The Violence Project has found that in the past decade it’s increasingly favored by perpetrators of mass shootings. While the debate on gun control is well trodden, dialogue around body armor is harder to find, and regulations are exceedingly scarce.

Details have yet to emerge on the exact gear worn by the Uvalde and Buffalo shooters, but all kinds of tactical equipment are easily available online. Bullet-proof vests typically consist of plate carriers made of steel, ceramic, or Kevlar, a kind of synthetic fiber—although bullet-proof is a bit of a misnomer. Brands and retailers warn that their products should be considered bullet-resistant and that any gear always carries a risk. In the US, protection is graded on a six-level scale, from being able to withstand stabbings to multiple ballistic hits.

Although New York is currently considering a bill that would prohibit owning a body vest, there are few restrictions like it elsewhere in the US. The state of Connecticut restricts face-to-face sales unless the buyer is active police or military, but again, kits are easy to find online. It’s also illegal under federal law to own body armor with a prior felony conviction, but since background checks are not required to buy tactical gear, that particular legislation is easily sidestepped.

Some of the more popular manufacturers of protective vests include Hesco and RMA, with styles starting at a few hundred dollars. High-end gear can run up into the thousands.

How Much Does a Bulletproof Vest Cost?

Bulletproof vests and armor plates are crucial investments that protect you anywhere. Law enforcement, security guards, first responders and more rely on these protective elements to keep them safe on the job. When selecting a vest, you want to consider your well-being while ensuring you get the most value for money. To get more news about buller proof vest, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

While the prices of body armor are subject to market forces and obey the laws of demand and supply just like any other product, many people cannot help but wonder what the rationale behind the pricing of bulletproof vests is. A lot of time goes into designing, manufacturing and testing these bulletproof vests, aiming to produce vests that offer the utmost strength and durability. This time makes bulletproof vests significant investments, and it is only fair that you understand exactly what you are paying for.

We outline the variables that affect the cost of bulletproof vests, including type, quality standards, durability, concealability and more, giving you the information you need to make an educated decision.
Soft armor is flexible, made primarily from fabrics like Kevlar or UHMWPE (the same as our PEAD and polyethylene), and provides high-strength, reliable performance. These vests usually come in single or stand-alone panels, typically worn beneath clothing and other gear. External soft vests are available at a higher price, offering a vest with more features like pockets, velcro and Molle.

Hard armor comes in multiple components, including a soft armor shell, plate carrier and armor plate inserts. These vests are highly customizable, as you usually purchase each part separately, allowing you to mix and match. You will have three options for plates — steel, ceramic and polyethylene — all affecting what you can do and the price you'll pay.

Steel plates are the heaviest, cheapest and least effective body armor, costing around $100 to $600 depending on the NIJ level. Steel doesn't conform to your body and results in heavy spalling, which can cause fragmentation and injury.

Ceramic and polyethylene (UHMWPE/PEAD) plates utilize innovative technology to be lighter in weight while still being high strength. These options cost more, ranging from $120 and above depending on the NIJ level.The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) classifies personal body armor into five categories, signifying different levels of protection. NIJ standards determine a bulletproof vest's effectiveness, improving the level of strength and safety as the rating increase. These enhancements also play a vital role in the anticipated cost, which often increases with the NIJ level.

The first type of material bulletproof vests are commonly made of is UHMWPE (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene). UHMWPE is a thermoplastic polymer with unique properties. The material has a strong physical and mechanical structure and has high chemical inertness. It is self-lubricating and has high abrasion and impact resistance. These properties make it one of the best materials body armor manufacturing.

The UHMWPE fibers used to make ballistic fabric are produced through a process known as gel-spinning, involving the extrusion of a low-concentration solution of UHMWPE to create gel precursor fibers. These fibers are heated to produce a molecular structure with high orientation, which gives UHMWPE its very desirable properties. UHMWPE body armor is often the most expensive for NIJ levels III and IV and will set you back between $300 and $1,000, depending on the level of protection you need. Lower levels (NIJ IIA, II, and IIIA) will cost between $100 and $300.

Kevlar is the other renowned material in the manufacturing of body armor. It is made by taking the chemical solution known as Polyparaphenylene Terephthalamide through a process known as a condensation reaction. Basically, the process converts the solution into long, highly tensile and strong fibers, called polyamides which are then spun to create a soft and flexible material.

This process ensures they are usable as textile fibers, used to weave Kevlar fabrics of different thicknesses. The thicker a Kevlar fabric is, the more protective it is. Kevlar is made of a highly tensile synthetic aramid fiber, offering heat resistance, high strength and the ability to absorb impact.

When hit by a bullet with high velocity and energy, the Kevlar material stretches back instead of disintegrating. This action subdues the bullet and stops it from penetrating through. Kevlar bulletproof vests are quite popular because they are more affordable. UHMWPE vests are more protective than Kevlar vests, but that does not imply Kevlar vests are ineffective. Kevlar vests cost between $150 and $800, depending on their design and level of protection.

Buffalo Democrat targets online bulletproof vest sales

A Buffalo legislator introduced a bill this week seeking to curb access to bullet-proof vests like the one donned by a teenage white supremacist who allegedly killed 10 people in the pol’s hometown. To get more news about best bullet proof vests, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

State Sen. Sean Ryan (D-Buffalo)’s proposal would effectively bar online sales of such gear by requiring a seller to physically deliver vests to customers.

“It’s alleged that the shooter in Buffalo was able to covertly buy body armor, hid it from his parents, hid it from members of the community by just getting it delivered to his house and nobody was able to know what he was up to,” Ryan told the Post Thursday.

Blocking Internet sales could make it more difficult for future gunmen to acquire body armor by making them venture to the relatively few shops that sell such gear in the Empire State compared to online, Ryan argues.

Ryan hopes to get an Assembly sponsor for the bill for the proposal to be included in a broader legislative package on guns that Albany Democrats are aiming to pass this upcoming week.

“I’ve had several calls today from numerous Assembly members looking to co-sponsor … So I think there’s going to be a good appetite in the Assembly and in the Senate,” he added.

State law allows New Yorkers to buy bulletproof vests, but wearing one while committing a gun crime can land violators in prison for up to five years.

Sales of such tactical gear have increased in recent years amid rising violent crime, civil unrest and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“We can’t get our regular in-store inventory so easily so it’s kind of created a bit of a backlog,” Brad Pedell, co-owner of 221B Tactical in Midtown, told the Post.

Pedell added that an effective ban on online sales of bulletproof vests would hurt the bottom line of his business, which sells an array of tactical gear.

He also questioned whether the bill, if is passes before state lawmakers adjourn for the year on June 2, would really deter criminals beyond being an inconvenience for law-abiding citizens.

“A fraction of people who are buying body armor are buying it for the sake of committing a felonious, heinous crime and protecting themselves while they’re in the process of doing that as compared with people who are just scared,” Pedell said.

Ryan, who represents a district near the site of the recent racist-fueled massacre at a Buffalo supermarket, responded to such criticism by saying a ban on online sales would at least reduce access for would-be mass killers to some degree, potentially saving lives in the process.

“If your business is to sell body armor worn by mass shooters to defy and evade law enforcement then you are in the wrong line of work. And there is no one solution to gun violence and to the scourges of mass shootings so we need to find many ways to save lives by chipping away at the problem and one part of the problem is the proliferation of body armor sales to civilians,” Ryan added.