Sales of bulletproof vests are on the rise. Who is buying them and why?
On June 6, outside the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., 6-year-old Akob Kelly was adjusting his bulletproof vest while attending a rally against gun violence.
Retailers and manufacturers of bulletproof clothing reported that sales of such protective equipment increased, in part because customers sought additional protection after the recent series of Mass shooting.
In an interview with NPR, representatives of four bulletproof clothing vendors said that their sales increased after the recent Mass shooting in Uwald, Texas, and Buffalo, New York. But they refused to provide specific numbers.
These companies believe that their customers are seeking more protection in an increasingly insecure world. David Reece, CEO of Armored Republic, said that after the shooting incident at Uwald's elementary school, parents particularly felt that they needed to do something.
You cannot control what evil people do. You cannot control the votes of legislators. But you can buy a backpack with armor inside for your child.
The sales of bulletproof backpacks on the market are starting to rise.
Dave Goldberg, CEO of National Body Armor, said that the company's sales grew immediately after a Mass shooting in a Buffalo supermarket.
Since then, we have been increasing, "he said. Previously, most products were in stock and could be shipped on the same day, but now it takes four to six weeks from placing an order to shipping
Customers are buying concealed bulletproof T-shirts, backpacks and other items, as well as standard Bulletproof vest of various strengths.
In the past few years, as gun sales have increased, sales of bulletproof vests have also increased. In April 2021, gun sellers across the United States reported that first-time gun buyers drove a surge in sales.
Retailers also reported that throughout the COVID-19 epidemic period, with civil rights protests, police shootings and other shooting incidents, sales also increased.
On the one hand, people are rushing to defend themselves, and on the other hand, gunmen are also using bulletproof vests to further expand the scale of their casualties. In May, an 18-year-old man carrying an AR-15 rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest walked into a supermarket in Buffalo. Store security guard Aaron Salt, a retired police officer, shot the suspect, but the bullet did not penetrate the other person's bulletproof vest. Then, the gunman shot and killed the security guard.
The perpetrators of the Buffalo shooting had bulletproof vests as protection, which is not without precedent. Previously, in large-scale shooting cases in Colorado, Texas, and California, the gunmen also wore bulletproof vests.
In the United States, bulletproof vests are far less restricted than firearms nationwide. Experts said that in recent years, the use of such equipment in Mass shooting has increased, which has raised questions about the accessibility of such equipment and concerns about the lethality of such shootings - if the police cannot use lethal force to stop them, these gunmen will have the opportunity to kill more people.
How are bulletproof vests used?
A bulletproof vest is used to protect the wearer from injury. Although the general public can use them, the vast majority of bulletproof vests are purchased for military, law enforcement, and security organizations.
The difference in bulletproof vests is significant. Cheap Bulletproof vest cost between $200 and $300. The most high-end bulletproof vests and ceramic panels can be very expensive, with a complete set priced up to thousands of dollars.
At the low end, soft bulletproof vests can protect the wearer from injuries from knives and pistol bullets. People wearing the highest level armor of ceramic plates can survive direct attacks from rifle ammunition.
Aaron Westrick, an expert in body armor and professor of criminal justice at Lake Superior State University, said that under the strongest protection, the wearer might not even notice that he was hit by a bullet.
He said, "In most cases, the direct impact of being hit by a bulletproof vest is almost zero. And at that time, the adrenaline surged and you may not notice being hit. Afterwards, you will have bruises and may experience pain
Who is buying bulletproof vests?
In the United States, there are very few restrictions on who can purchase bulletproof vests. The only purchase restriction is that the federal government prohibits individuals who commit serious crimes of violence from owning bulletproof vests, but regulatory authorities have been lax in enforcing this law.
Connecticut requires that sales of bulletproof vests must be done in person, and New York has just passed restrictions on the types of sales and buyers of bulletproof vests. In addition, no state requires any form of Background check or permits. Some retailers refuse to sell to civilians. But there are also people who sell their products to anyone willing to buy them. Some sellers say they require buyers to be at least 18 years old.
Many early buyers were law enforcement officers or journalists who typically worked in harsh environments.
The current buyers are much more diverse.
Many retailers indicate that gun supporters are the most common repeat customers. Retailers say they purchase bulletproof vests as accessories for weapons. But more and more people hope to wear bulletproof vests in their daily lives.
National Body Armor's Goldberg said of the company's clients, "Most people have not worn bulletproof vests before. They just want to wear something to feel safe and feel that if they are hit by a handgun, they will be protected
Goldberg said that "everyone in society" wants to buy his company's invisible bulletproof T-shirt, which can be worn inside clothes.
I would say it's doctors, lawyers, Uber drivers, people working in restaurants or any threatened places, "he said. At a golf course in town, someone was stabbed by someone else, so everyone who played bought one
P.B. Gomez, founder of the Latino Rifle Association, pointed out that members of extreme right wing organizations such as "Proud Boys" had been wearing tactical equipment and Bulletproof vest during the protest.
In August 2019, a member of the Proud Boys wore a bulletproof vest at a rally in Portland, Oregon.
"But the Bulletproof vest is also increasingly welcomed by minority left-wing progressives who want to protect themselves in the protest because they may face extreme right-wing agitators head-on. They want to be protected," Gomez said.
According to Wolf Milan, UARM's business development manager, UARM's customer base is often people who work night shifts at gas stations or liquor stores.
Milan stated that the US based company also sells armor and tactical equipment to the Ukrainian military, and had already produced products in Ukraine before officially entering the US market in 2018.
How often do large-scale gunmen use bulletproof vests?
Westrick said that bulletproof vests are expensive and are usually rarely used by criminals.
But he said that gunmen driven by ideology, as well as those who carefully plan attacks, will use bulletproof vests more frequently.
According to data collected by The Violence Project, a non partisan organization that studies gun violence, the number of large-scale gunmen wearing bulletproof vests has been on the rise in recent years.
The organization found that in the past 40 years, at least 21 large-scale gunmen have worn bulletproof vests, most of whom have been in the past 10 years.
Some of the most eye-catching shooting incidents were carried out by gunmen wearing bulletproof vests. These include the 2012 Aurora Cinema shooting in Colorado, the 2015 San Bernardino attack, and the last year's shooting at Kingsop Department Store in Boulder, Colorado.
In 2017, when the gunmen of the First Baptist Church in Springs, Sutherland, Texas, were killing indiscriminately, there were experts at the scene - Stephen Willeford, the former firearms coach of the American Rifle Association, used his AR-15 rifle to fight back. Wilford said he later learned that his first two shots clearly accurately hit the gunman, but the gunman was wearing a bulletproof vest, and it was only when he aimed at the side of the gunman's body that it was possible to have an impact on the gunman.
Westrick said that there have been targeted changes in police training, considering that the gunmen may have bulletproof vests. He said, "The training has been modified. If armor is found, it can be bypassed
How is the business of bulletproof vests?
UARM reported that, except for the business in Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the sales in the past two years increased by about 150%, about 2.5 times that of 2019.
In the first three months of 2022, approximately half of the sales were sold to traditional customers (i.e. veterans, gun enthusiasts, or people working in security or law enforcement), while the other half were sold to novice buyers. Milan stated that in 2021, nearly 30% of customers purchased bulletproof vests for the first time.
From 2019 to 2020, Todd Meeks' Spartan Armor Systems' sales doubled. Then in 2021, sales decreased by about 25% compared to 2020. But January to March 2021 is "a crazy busy time for us" (according to Meeks, this is because of the rebellion in United States Capitol on January 6).
According to the report by Armored Republic's Reese, sales of bulletproof backpacks increased nearly sixfold from April to May this year after news of the Buffalo and Uwald shootings spread.
He believes that the sudden short-term outbreak of activity will 'quickly decline'.
Does the United States have measures to regulate bulletproof vests?
Legislators have proposed relevant bills in Congress, but none have passed them.
In 2014, a shooting incident occurred in Southern California, where a man wearing a bulletproof vest and holding an AR-15 rifle killed two people and injured a deputy sheriff in Riverside County. After the attack, California Democratic Representative Michael Honda introduced the Responsible Body Armor Possession Act.
Honda said at a press conference announcing the bill, "This bill will prevent military bulletproof vests from falling into the wrong hands. It will ensure that only law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and other first responders can receive enhanced bulletproof vests
In 2019, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York proposed another bulletproof vest bill. Schumer's bill requires civilians to obtain permission from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to purchase bulletproof vests.
It is shocking that almost anyone can order advanced armor or tactical law enforcement equipment like those we see in wars or full-scale law enforcement raids with just a click of the mouse, a scroll of the thumb, or a phone call, which is unacceptable and needs to be changed, "he said at the time.
These suggestions, as well as other similar suggestions, have not gone far.
After the Buffalo shooting, Governor of New York Kathy Hochul signed a series of laws, raising the minimum age for buying Semi-automatic rifle to 21 years old, and prohibiting the sale of bulletproof vests to some civilians. According to legal regulations, only recognized professionals can purchase and use this special protection. The list of people who can purchase these vests will be announced later.
But as reported by The Trace, a news website that reports on gun violence, the special armor worn by gunmen in Buffalo (hard armor used to resist rifle bullets) is not prohibited by this law. Only soft bulletproof vests are included in the scope of this law, which are easier to conceal and can only withstand smaller bullets.
After the Buffalo attack, National Body Armor's Goldberg stated that his company no longer sells "military grade" products to the public. He said that all products sold by the company to the public can be penetrated by police bullets.
Goldberg said, "Considering that there are always people doing suspicious things, we no longer sell higher quality products to the public than those owned by the police
Other retailers and buyers are not satisfied with the new laws in New York.
The Armored Republic's Reese said that the bulletproof vests law is completely unconstitutional and a "high-pressure act by the legislature". He said that the company intends to sue the state of New York in federal court regarding this law.
“I believe that bad people will do bad things. People with evil intentions can easily bypass the law or the intentions of manufacturers and sellers to find black market resources. I believe that preventing people from using tools does not help free people resist evil, "he said.
