To Keep and Bear Armor

You probably saw this link to U.S. Palm's new Defender body armor for civilians at Instapundit.  It's an interesting concept.

I have a set of civilian body armor that I received as a gift in Iraq, though I didn't use it there -- the military had provided me with a set of Interceptor armor that was more practical for warfare.  I've still got the other set, though it's packed away.

The probability of a home invasion in rural Georgia approaches zero, especially for those of us with dogs and rifles.  Still, in an area without those advantages, I can see how keeping a set handy might be a sensible precaution.  I would like to say, though, that if you already have a handgun and two hundred dollars to spend to improve your defensive capacity at home, the more sensible thing would be to use the money to buy a shotgun.  

1 comment:

E Hines said...

You slip your pistol from the safe in your nightstand drawer and grab the flashlight you keep by your bed for emergencies....

Speaking ex cathedra from my navel, I have a couple of problems.

Not having kids at home, our weapons aren't in a safe. That's a trivial point, though.

Why do I want a flashlight? I have very good night vision, and I know the layout of my home better than the invader (unless the invader is a "friend," in which case I have far greater problems), and the flashlight just tells the invader where I am and that he's been discovered.

Why spend the time putting on body armor? As a practical matter, if the invader is a good a shot as most Americans, I'm as likely to be hit in the face or the lower extremities as I am in the protected chest. Which brings me to promptness of action: I want to arrive, as quickly (and quietly) as possible, to a point where I can take a useful shot--before the invader has a chance to do anything. And then I'll take the shot.

As to the shotgun: I'm going to have a mess to clean up on the floor, anyway, from my pistol shot. I don't want to add to that a mess to clean up on the wall behind the invader from the shotgun shot. Or risk the BBs causing harm elsewhere in our close-packed neighborhood, should I have taken that shot while the invader is still in front of the window.

Eric Hines