For probably 5 years now I’ve made it a standard policy for everyone to have body armor in their vehicle, that being myself / wife / daughter. I have plate carrier with Level 4 ceramic plates and they both have soft Level 3 armor. You might be thinking it’s a little on the extreme side of preparedness but here’s my “why” in one picture:
Riots in Minneapolis (pic via NYPost)
The Rationale
The best weapon we have is between our ears – a phrase I’ve heard over the years and firmly believe in. Sort of relates to how we train with and carry a firearm for protection yet the best gunfight is the one we never have to get into. As such, inserting ourselves into sketchy situations that could have been avoided aren’t great courses of action. However, CCW and gunfights aside, with respect to this current civil unrest there is always a small chance that one of us might find ourselves stuck trying to get out of town. If that were to happen the idea would be to body armor up and do the absolute best to ride it out or find a way through to safety.
Again avoidance is key when considering riots / civil unrest but I’m a firm believer that “it’s impossible to get caught in that” has no place in my planning process. I get that this is not a panacea or some magical force field of protection but when you consider that decent body armor isn’t that expensive and it’s very easy to store / move around / take on and off it’s a low barrier to entry but high yield option. Right now you might be thinking but they are still in a standard vehicle, no head protection, the Level 3 doesn’t protect against rifle rounds…and I concede that point. Best case my wife hops in her M1 tank and rumbles through the streets from the hospital back to the mountains with authority while being totally impervious to any threats, but seeing as I’m a little short on tanks these days a little body armor is where we’ll go with it.
Civil Unrest Expectations
I don’t believe that we are anywhere near the end of this cycle of violence and that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have these latest police officer protests / riots, the CV lockdown factor and lest we forget the upcoming elections in November. Both sides believe their cause to be virtuous and the other side to be the personification of evil and corruption – both ready to claim foul play should they “lose.” I’m not sure where exactly things will go for our Country in November but I know it’s going to be anything but great.
If Trump wins:
Biden’s followers – This is fraud!
Trump’s followers – The people have spoken deal with it.
If Biden wins:
Biden’s followers – The people have spoken deal with it.
Trump’s follower – This is fraud!
Just some light political musings as I find the entire thing totally polarizing and what’s even more disturbing are the doe eye’d followers that hang on the every word of their respective champion. Have “the people” really spoken if one candidate wins 51% to 49%? (Cue the guy in the comments section educating everyone on our Republic and Democracies and Founding Fathers) It’s more like the people are divided as a nation and as Lincoln once stated: “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.”
Final Thoughts
The reality of the situation is this: The chances of any of us getting caught up in some big riot that would warrant the donning of body armor are very slim. Yet as with anything prepper related I don’t let the odds dictate all of my decisions, otherwise I wouldn’t have all of the storage food that I have or the contingencies built into my layered home security plan. If you think body armor is something you might be interested in I suggest doing the research, understanding the laws and also what makes a company and their product reputable. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
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Add fire extinguisher and gas masks to your get home bag. Armor is a good idea but also include a stop-the-bleed trauma kit.
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Good call, it’s a separate post but we all have North American Rescue kits (TQ’s, chest seals, hemostatic dressings and more) and they have been through stop the bleed training.
In the early 70’s I was working in an office building in down town Atlanta. My sister worked in the same building. For cheap parking we parked at the old Turned Braves Stadium parking lot and rode a shuttle bus. We came out of the building one evening straight into a riot & burning buildings. We were so shocked we couldn’t move. Another shuttle rider grabbed our hands and pulled us to the other side of the building. That gentleman might have save our lives of serious injury. For weeks after that out building (28 stories) received bomb threats daily. It was nothing to see law enforcement with a dog come into our office and check. Our parents were hysterical by the time we got home. No cell phones, not getting off the I20 for any reason, so all they saw was TV coverage.
We used to go with our grandparents and sit outside of Martin Luther King Jr. Church and listen to him. Wish he had lived, we would all be better off for it.
There are always going to be the trouble makers. Sad for the communities & businesses destroyed.
Body armor is not something I have considered since I live in a very rural (boonies) area. Son is DNR & stays equiped. Usually what ever they assign him, we get one also. Will check it out.
Will check out the bleed stop. Can do wound cleaning , burn care and stitching (stitched up my own hand once).
For now still isolating. Expecting a blow back of the virus. Just my opinion.
Have not found race to be a problem here as it was in the big city. Most folks here go about their own business and show kindness to one anotber. But!!!! Who knows what could happen. Praying hard for our country & all the people!
If you’re going to wear body armor, you might as well get ballistic helmets. People see you’re wearing a vest(as I’m sure yours is a plate carrier and not under clothes) they’re gonna aim for your melon. I would also suggest not keeping your vests in the car as sunlight does breakdown the material.
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I would argue most people are incapable of hitting headshots on a flat range in a controlled environment at 10-15 yards, much less in a dynamic environment on a moving target…
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