After learning so much about body armor over the years, I’ve realised there are a lot of misconceptions about personal body armor. 

At ShotStop®, we believe that personal ballistic protection shouldn’t only be for our military and law enforcement communities. Being able to protect yourself in your own way is a right that not all Americans know they have. 

We often get the question “why should I wear body armor if I’m not a cop or soldier?” Many Americans have thought about wearing body armor, but are often unsure of the legality in their state. I’d like to explain 5 reasons why every American should own some form of ballistic protection. 

Why Should Americans Consider Wearing Body Armor?

There are many reasons why we believe every family should at least consider wearing body armor. I’d like to offer 5 reasons why everyone should consider body armor. 

Our main goal with our blog is to help educate the public and offer our services. Consideration of these topics can help you determine if personal ballistic protection is right for your family. Good Luck and thank you for taking time to read our blog!

1. Hunting, Sport Shooting

There are millions of Americans that hunt both recreationally, and for their livelihood. Personally, I hunt in areas that are surrounded by forests for thousands of acres and 5 acre farm fields. 

Oftentimes I can hear and sometimes see missed shots come close to me during a hunt on public land. It really seems like Covid helped people realize the importance of self-reliance and independence. 

According to Pewtrusts.org, some states like Michigan saw a 67% increase in new hunters for 2020. Nevada saw a 40% increase in new hunters, while Idaho saw a 28% increase. The numbers vary, but many states have seen anywhere from 10,000-,100,000 new hunters during the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

Just in my area alone, I hear about 1-2 hunters per whitetail season getting killed by a fellow hunter. Last Spring Turkey season felt like a duck hunt in a crowded marshland. After the first couple hours, I saw multiple pellets from turkey shot fall from the trees. I knew then that I needed to have extra protection on public land.

Which Body Armor Plate is Best For Deer Season?

For hunting season I wear Duritium® Level IV+HA body armor in the 8.75” x 11.75” Shooters Cut for optimal cross arm movement and comfort. Everyone should be sized properly before they choose which plate. Read our How to Properly Wear Body Armor blog for more information on body armor size and fit.

Duritium® Level IV+HA armor in the  8.75” x 11.75” Shooters Cut is only 3.6 lbs per plate and we provide you with 3 independent lab test results confirming our claims of NIJ Level 4 compliance.

2. Home-Defense 

Guns sales have gone through the roof in the past couple years for much of the same reason, hunting went up. Covid changed the way many of us view life now and have really brought out the concern for personal protection. 

It makes sense to buy personal ballistic protection if you’re going to have a firearm. Being able to protect your family is more than having a gun because modern bullets pass through walls and kill people every year. If you live in an area that could face potential high crime rates, body armor for your home makes a lot of sense. 

Which Body Armor Plate is Best For Home-Defense?

The plates that I would buy for my home are the Level III+PA plates in the 9.5” x 12.5” size SAPI plate for optimal protection and low-weight. Not that I have favorites for any specific plate, but the Duritium® Level III+PA plate has to be one of the most impressive stand-alone plates I’ve ever worn. 

They weigh only 2.9 lbs per plate and offer rifle protection with 12 stopped shots of 5.56 x45mm (M193) at 25 yards. This is perfect for a home defense plate with the lowest weight and thickness (0.7”) of any stand-alone plate. 

3. Body Armor is Legal For Everyone (Almost)

We often get this question whether everyday Americans are allowed to have access to personal ballistic protection (body armor). Although rifle-caliber body armor was meant for the military and LEO communities, every American is allowed to own Level 3 and Level 4 NIJ-Listed body armor. 

There is only 1 circumstance in which you’re not allowed to own body armor; if you’re a convicted felon. If you have any more questions about body armor, read our Q&A blog on Level 4 Body Armor. 

4. Protection For Our Children

It’s unfortunate that we even have to have this talk, but modern times don’t seem to be as safe as we’d like it for our children. This is why we created bulletproof backpack inserts designed to stop any handgun and rifles up to NIJ Level 3. 

There are a lot of companies that are selling fad items, such as bulletproof hoodies and jackets, while we’ve been honing our new Duritium® BallisticBoard® and backpack inserts. 

What is The Best Bulletproof Backpack?

There is little doubt in my mind that as of right our Duritium® BallisticBoard® is the lightest, most conspicuous, durable, and reliable insert ever made. It’s called the BallisticBoard® III RA backpack insert and it only weighs 3.7 lbs for the 10” x 12” plate and 4.75 lbs for the 11”x 14” insert. 

What’s even more impressive is the thickness of the plate at only 0.7” thick. This plate will fit into any school age backpack and provide protection from every caliber handgun bullet they could face. 

Arguably the most important trait of a ballistic insert is the amount of hits it could take without penetrating the plate. The BallisticBoard® III RA insert can also stop at least 6 shots from a .308” bullet and any shotgun gauge, including 00 Buckshot. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Ballistic Backpack Inserts our blog on Bulletproof Backpacks is a good starting point.

5. Public Events

Music concerts, sporting events, and large festivals can often involve drugs, alcohol, and weapons. Wearing a body armor plate in public events has become more common than many of you might think. 

However, a Level 3 or 4 plate made from AR500 Steel can be unrealistic for most people due to the weight of the plate. We try to be realistic about expectations and we would never expect someone to stand for 3-6 hours and walk great lengths in armor if it were as heavy as steel. 

Lightweight body armor is always going to be the choice and over the past decade that has always meant soft plate inserts for handgun caliber protection. Fortunately, this is where ShotStop®  comes in with our Duritium®  technology. 

Which Armor Plate is Best For Concerts and Festivals?

If it were me, I would look for the lightest plate insert I could find with the highest level of ballistic protection. It would come down to 2 plates for me; the Duritium® Level IV+HA and the  Duritium® Level III+PA plate. What makes my decision on this is I would rather be able to jump around and dance without adding any extra weight. 

The Duritium® Level III+PA plate is only 2.3 lbs (per plate) for the 8.75” x 11.75” Shooters Cut plate. The Level IV+HA plate is the lightest Level 4 protection (4.5 lbs per plate) you can buy, but I can carry 4.6 lbs on my chest and back all day long without barely noticing it. 

Why Choose ShotStop®?

I have 4 main reasons why you should choose ShotStop® over our competition. We offer comfortable plates for both men and women. All Duritium® Level III+ and Duritium® Level IV plates are stand-alone. Duritium® has outstanding multi-hit protection with up to dozens of stopped bullets. You can expect to see at least a 6-shot protection from our Level III plates. 

Comfortable For Men and Women

We understand that not everyone comes in the same shapes and sizes and that’s why we’ve created our plates to be multi-curved. Have you ever worn body armor and ever felt like the armor was too tight and it was restricting your breathing? If so, you should look for a multi-curved plate. 

A plate with multiple curves is designed to accommodate as many body types as possible. The curvature of the plate is designed to give you more room in the chest and stomach. This type of plate still provides the same level of protection as a flat plate, but it’s just going to be much more comfortable for women and larger men. 

Stay in the Fight

Choosing ShotStop® gives you the best chance at staying in the fight after you’ve been hit. There is no sugarcoating the fact that even if your armor stops the bullet it’s going to hurt… A LOT. 

Different types of materials such as steel or ceramic are more commonly used than UHMWPE. The reason is the high cost that we take on vs the low cost of steel and ceramic materials. 

Either way, the best material for keeping you in the fight is by far and away UHMWPE. 

Even though Duritium® technology is our own unique proprietary blend of materials with UHMWPE being the main ingredient. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the different types of ballistic materials, read our blog, What Are the Different Types of Body Armor? | Steel, Ceramic, and Polyethylene vs. Duritium® Body Armor.

Durability

Anytime you buy something as important and expensive as body armor, it’s important you keep your lifestyle in mind. For example, if you live a more active lifestyle and travel, the durability of your armor should come into question. 

If you’ve ever worn or heard of ceramic armor, you know that if you drop it from a car or truck and it lands on the edge, you could crack the plate. 

The whole point of offering body armor to all Americans is to help them live their best life, not be burdened with it. We expect you to live your lives and use our armor as a tool in the toolbag to keep you and your family safe. 

Our Duritium® plates will hold up to the trials and tribulations of what life offers. This is why we offer a 15-year warranty on all Level III plates and a 10-year warranty on all Level IV plates.