Body Armor question.

I was wondering about the legality of wearing soft or hard body armor in public or inside public buildings or if you need a permit or something similar to do so. If anyone has any input on this topic it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Lot of questions in that question. In Merryland, not illegal to own or wear. I wouldn't try to enter a security area wearing it. You're asking for problems. Not a lawyer.

Oh for sure I wouldn't enter a secure area with it. I'm asking more so for my job since I work in the school system and I feel like the new active shooter drills are not really the best for responding to that kind of threat especially unprotected.

I don't think that wearing plates day-to-day in a semi-non-permissive-environment is plausible, even if it's legal. You MIGHT get away with soft armor, but you're gonna have a lot of questions raised if someone figures out you're wearing it and makes a stink about it.

True, I might just get a small plate to slip into the back portion of my backpack I carry around that way no one would see it and like they say out of sight out of mind.

The best thing about body armor is when you take it off. Even if you invested the money in something decent, within a couple of weeks it would most likely be sitting in your closet and it's not magic shield of protection anyway.

If you’re looking for a concealable armor, there’s other products that would suit your need better than actual soft armor, or plates IMO. Check this out. Lots of options including a clipboard. Again though, just because you have some ballistic protection doesn’t mean you’re captain America with a shield. Lol.

https://www.hardwirellc.com/collect...MIpfD22LHp3gIVff_jBx3akAgREAAYAiAAEgLZ7_D_BwE

I think this is the future of schools and professional buildings.

ClutchyMcClutcherson said:

If you’re looking for a concealable armor, there’s other products that would suit your need better than actual soft armor, or plates IMO. Check this out. Lots of options including a clipboard. Again though, just because you have some ballistic protection doesn’t mean you’re captain America with a shield. Lol.

https://www.hardwirellc.com/collect...MIpfD22LHp3gIVff_jBx3akAgREAAYAiAAEgLZ7_D_BwE

I think this is the future of schools and professional buildings.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, and I'm not looking to be some hero I'm just looking for something to provide a little bit of protection in case shit hits the fan.

Techguy said:

Thanks for the link, and I'm not looking to be some hero I'm just looking for something to provide a little bit of protection in case shit hits the fan.

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Yup I know what ya mean. Their clipboards are interesting. Could easily slide it in a backpack when you’re out with the family, or in a school for your case.

outrider58 said:

Lot of questions in that question. In Merryland, not illegal to own or wear. I wouldn't try to enter a security area wearing it. You're asking for problems. Not a lawyer.

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I think there may be a prohibition if you are a felon.

Well, all kind of new laws coming in 2019. But what, there is already laws..
Loosening the tin foil.

Don't know if its any good, but https://safelifedefense.com/product/backpack-armor-panel/

Mark

Techguy said:

Thanks for the link, and I'm not looking to be some hero I'm just looking for something to provide a little bit of protection in case shit hits the fan.

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I’m with ADR it’s a stupid idea BUT if you’re interested A1Uniform can custom fit you for some decent stuff

Whatever you do, don’t fall for the Spectra-shield junk sold at gun shows if you are looking soft armor.

+1 for A-1 Uniform as a trusted vendor.

The best bullet protection is the other people running around you.

It's quite the gambling investment hoping it will be a pistol round and not a rifle round your future shooter will be using.

Only a matter of time until co workers notice your new piece of costume and bring it up to the chain of command.

If using the magical clip board, where would you hold it? In front of your face, center mass, or pelvic girdle?

Do you have the balls to just stand still in front of a shooter while holding your magical clipboard or backpack? Instead of running, flailing your hands like you've just walked into a spider web? 100 percent of unarmed people wouldn't.

If I were a teacher/work in a school environment, my time would be spent on learning to be the best room barricade specialist known to mankind. That is if you're lucky enough to have a room with doors.

I would figure out what desks, chairs, furniture, etc... Can be lined up in a row behind the door to the wall across the room to keep the door from being pushed open. Then I would clearly lable those pieces 1,2,3,etc... On the top, indicating which piece goes first against the door, second piece behind that, etc... Ideally, the last number would be the piece closest to the far wall. The less thinking you do have to do under stress, the better.

Active shooters like to be active. They're not going to spend much time, if any, when they encounter some physical resistance like blocked or closed entryways. They'll move on to the next available area.
I'd have on hand a few cheap rubber door stops or invest in a few well built "tactical" door wedges.

Good luck.

The clip board is only one thing that company offers. What I meant by the link being the future is a lot of the other items they offer like ballistic white boards etc. I agree with you though that to barricade yourself in a room is your best bet. The clipboard wouldn’t be bad if you just want something. Like I said, maybe something you keep in a backpack or something like that.

Blaster229 said:

The best bullet protection is the other people running around you.

It's quite the gambling investment hoping it will be a pistol round and not a rifle round your future shooter will be using.

Only a matter of time until co workers notice your new piece of costume and bring it up to the chain of command.

If using the magical clip board, where would you hold it? In front of your face, center mass, or pelvic girdle?

Do you have the balls to just stand still in front of a shooter while holding your magical clipboard or backpack? Instead of running, flailing your hands like you've just walked into a spider web? 100 percent of unarmed people wouldn't.

If I were a teacher/work in a school environment, my time would be spent on learning to be the best room barricade specialist known to mankind. That is if you're lucky enough to have a room with doors.

I would figure out what desks, chairs, furniture, etc... Can be lined up in a row behind the door to the wall across the room to keep the door from being pushed open. Then I would clearly lable those pieces 1,2,3,etc... On the top, indicating which piece goes first against the door, second piece behind that, etc... Ideally, the last number would be the piece closest to the far wall. The less thinking you do have to do under stress, the better.

Active shooters like to be active. They're not going to spend much time, if any, when they encounter some physical resistance like blocked or closed entryways. They'll move on to the next available area.
I'd have on hand a few cheap rubber door stops or invest in a few well built "tactical" door wedges.

Good luck.

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Great post!

When I read the accounts of the Virginia Tech shooting what stood out was exactly what you described. Several of the classrooms had successfully barricaded themselves. When the shooter got resistance he moved on.

Backpack armor inserts seem like the winner. They easily slip into the laptop compartment of most backpacks. Either toss the backpack on while dipping out of there the traditional way, or wear it on your front if you think you have time to do that before choosing to confront a threat. One thing to do is to continually be aware of your surroundings inside school in a shooting context. I'll often play a game with myself walking to go print stuff or whatever where I'll pie corners to see if I can see other people walking the halls before they see me. It helps you rehearse some movement without looking like too much of a nut. As you're doing this, note what things around you provide cover vs concealment, where entrances/exits are(windows count), and alternate routes you can take if you see a threat as you pie a corner.

An example is my gym hallway, from my gym to the main hallway, the music room is on the left and the stage is to the right. In either case, the rooms have one door close to my gym door and then another door 10 yards down or so. In the case of the stage doors, the stage opens to the cafeteria which is blocked by a curtain. There's also the parking lot door directly across from my gym door. All these options present challenges, but also alternate routes of travel for this particular stretch of hallway. If I get to the main hallway and pick up a threat down to the right, I could potentially use the stage doors-> cafeteria doors to flank around the back/side of the threat. This is my school and I know just about every inch of it. Use that to your advantage for movement.

You can also find some things that belong in school that make good weapons. In my case, I've got a couple aluminum baseball bats near places where I typically stand/sit throughout the day. Brooms(broom handle), old crutches, a thick cane...they're all things that make handy striking weapons that don't really draw any extra attention.

Then you've got your drills/emergency planning. I've talked over with my coworker and principal some alternatives we'd be using. For a typical lockdown, you're supposed to move students away from windows/doors, lock the doors, turn off the lights, and then go through your role call reporting procedures. In my case, I've identified two more locked doors we could put the kids behind to make them much more secure within our space. One involves scuttling them up a ladder, so it's not something we can realllllllly drill, but it would be much more safe, so I've identified it as an option for the command structure to be aware of.

Be sure to get involved as much as possible with planning itself. I worked to form an emergency preparedness committee at my school and to get on it. I was finally able this year to get my entire staff trained on the stop-the-bleed kits we have in the building. Now our staff know how to use tourniquets/hemostatic gauze/chest seals in addition to the regular CPR/AED/Heimlich/Epipen/narcan training we always get. The next step for that line of action is to try to get at least one kit for each pod area instead of just the one kit of 3tqs/combat gauze located near the nurses office. I've personally set-up an emergency go-bag near my door with medical stuff, flashlights, some stuff for the kids(you still have to manage behavior in an emergency...especially if it's kindergarten...so things like books help), maps, and writing implements. If something happens, I can get my kids safe and provide immediate care, rather than having to run down to the office and back. We've also been able to get blinds for windows to block line of site into classrooms, and figured creative ways to lock doors without teachers needing to go outside of their rooms to do it.

....now if we're outside on the field and someone attacks from the parking lot/walking path....we're basically fooked. It sure would be nice if I could go through a legal process to carry at work for the safety of my kids/coworkers/self...butttttt....maryland.

https://www.spartanarmorsystems.com/spartan-omega-ar500-body-armor-single-plate/

Inexpensive option for backpack armor...soft or hard....hard is like 12 lbs though...not a problem if it's an emergency backpack you don't carry often.

Smokey it’s good to see you’re so prepared. After reading your post I have no doubt if that worst day imaginable ever happened, you’d have a plan. Good job! And thanks for taking our children’s safety seriously!