{"id":1953,"date":"2020-05-12T15:30:50","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T19:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outdoorsportsnation.com\/?p=1953"},"modified":"2020-05-28T05:11:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T09:11:16","slug":"survival-and-prep-the-basics-of-personal-body-armor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outdoorsportsnation.com\/survival-and-prep-the-basics-of-personal-body-armor\/pentecostkyle12\/survival-prep\/05\/12\/2020\/1953\/","title":{"rendered":"Survival and Prep: The Basics Of Personal Body Armor"},"content":{"rendered":"
The world we live in is far from perfect. As events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricane Katrina have shown us things can get kind of crazy quickly. I hope we never witness true civil unrest or societal collapse in the United States, but if it does happen it is likely we won’t have much warning. Having a reasonable supply of things like gasoline, canned or freeze-dried food, bottled water, medical supplies, firearms and ammunition, and body armor can be useful in a SHTF scenario.<\/p>\n
In this article, I am going to discuss body armor\u2014what you need to know and how to get it. If you are just starting to learn about armor and ballistic protection the options can seem overwhelming. Let’s cover some of the basics.<\/p>\n
Who Can Buy Body Armor?<\/strong><\/p>\n Body armor is legal to purchase and own in all 50 states in the United States. In the state of Connecticut, you must purchase it in person, but in the rest of the country you can order it online. Individual states may have restrictions about its use so be sure and check local laws. Felons convicted of violent crimes may not purchase, possess, or use body armor under federal law. Furthermore, the commission of a crime while wearing body armor generally carries severely enhanced penalties. Some companies that manufacture and sell body armor will only sell to military or law enforcement, but this is a personal choice rather than a legal prohibition. Several good companies sell body armor to civilians online. Spartan Armor, Hoplite Armor, and RMA are just a few of them.<\/p>\n Armor Ratings<\/strong><\/p>\n You should only buy armor that includes a rating from the NIJ (National Institute of Justice). The NIJ is the R and D arm of the Department of Justice. Armor manufacturers send in their products to the NIJ to be ballistically tested and receive a rating based on what rounds the armor will stop. Some less scrupulous manufacturers will try to mislead consumers by claiming to “test to NIJ standards” or “tested in an NIJ certified facility.” You want to make sure the plates you are buying are actually NIJ certified. Legitimate retailers will publish the NIJ certification results on their product page. Below is a chart from the NIJ<\/a> explaining the different rating levels.<\/p>\n