
Body Armor For Civilians - Part 2: How To Choose The Right Armor
In Part 1, I discussed the importance of body armor for civilians and highlighted the fact that violence can occur anywhere, at any time. I mentioned different locations and situations, besides being at home. Taking account of the locations and situations common to you and your family’s lifestyle is a good starting point for choosing the right body armor. But for context, I need to explain the various body armor platforms and ballistic protection levels.
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sets the standards and quantifies ballistic protection for body armor. For any level, the bullet must not perforate the vest and the vest must protect against blunt trauma. The levels, from lowest to highest protection, are IIA, II, IIIA, IIIA+, III, III+, and IV. Here’s an NIJ Chart that clarifies some of these. Level IIA through IIIA are tested to protect against handguns, and III through IV against high velocity rifle rounds.