Wednesday 12 June 2013

Bullet Resistant Clothing For Civilians

By Margarita Joseph


It is now possible for civilians to buy bullet resistant clothing. The casual wear protects against bullets but is expensive due to the high quality of design, construction and material. Such protection links with law enforcement officers and by any other person in need of such protection or facing a risk of gunshot.

These garments are also referred to as ballistic vests, and were first used by army personnel in the 1960's. Then, in the 1970's, they were made available to law protection officials. Today they are even available on the general market, for the public, but a few considerations should be made before purchasing such gear.

As a civilian, you will probably not want to wear a vest on the outer layers of your clothing; you will want it to be concealed. Those that are more easy to hide are thinner, and don't offer as much protection, but can be more useful because of their design. A very thick and heavy garment cannot be easily worn when going out in public. The level of protection you require will therefore influence the choice of purchase.

The kind of attack that is expected could also determine which type of vest to purchase. For example, a rifle attack will tear a soft, lightweight vest to shreds, but it would be sufficient against a pistol shot. The vests are categorized as Levels II-A, II and III, and have different thicknesses ranging from four millimeters to eight or nine millimeters, respectively.

Level II and Level II-A, are concealed by wearing thick over wear. This includes a loose T-shirt, or a thin dress shirt. Level III requires a sweater or a suit jacket for effective concealing. However, level III protection is mostly used by the military and police force and is work over the body. Civilian protection wear is white to make it look like an undershirt.

Garments that resist bullets should fit well, and be of the correct size. If they are too large or too small, they may not work efficiently, and vital organs could be left unprotected. You will need an expert's advice regarding their fitment if you have not used them before. Standard sizes are also available.

You should consider the budget when trying to buy a body amour. They cost a lot and you need to know what options you have. You can buy a new amour or a used body amour from the police force of military. These come as a cheaper option, and sold by dealers acting as middlemen. Some dealers also offer discount on volume of purchase. This is cheaper if you are fitting a group of security men.

Bullet resistant clothing should only be purchased if it is absolutely necessary, and the laws that govern the use of such garments should be obeyed. Since the items cannot easily be replaced without spending large amounts of money a second time, they should be well maintained. Those who are first-time users can obtain a maintenance plan for their cleaning from the manufacturer.




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