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