Body Armor Inserts for Backpacks
Body armor inserts for backpacks and briefcases are something you might be interested in for yourself or for your kids when they go to school. This is one option for active shooter response and one way for the average person to be better prepared to defend themselves. Obviously children can’t carry guns to school, but they can protect themselves by using body armor.
Premier Body Armor
Premier Body Armor was designed in exactly the same way and using exactly the same materials that normal ballistic soft body armor is manufactured for law enforcement officers. Premier does primarily work for law enforcement officers.
Premier wanted to help private citizens who are not in the law enforcement community be prepared to deal with active shooters and other miscreants. In fact this has been a controversial issue: Should body armor be sold to private citizens? Obviously bad guys can buy it too.
But the impetus came from law enforcement officers, who asked Premier Body Armor to make ballistic panels that their children could place in their school bags and backpacks for personal security when going to school.
Ballistic Panels
The panel provided for PDN’s testing is a small panel that fits in a standard backpack. It’s NIJ tested, which is the standard for ballistic protection in the United States, and it’s a Level IIIA. The panel is meant to be worn up against the body, not free floating inside the backpack. The wearer can move the backpack to the front of their body if warranted, or leave it on their back if fleeing from a threat.
Ballistic Testing
To see if this panel will actually stop a bullet and is worth considering as one of your self-defense tools, we conducted ballistic testing with gelatin blocks. A backpack with the panel inserted was strapped against a gelatin block and a 9mm JHP +P round fired into it from 21 feet away.
The results? The bullet was completely contained within the Premier Body Armor panel. It stopped the round. Ballistic backpack panels are TSA approved and legal in all 50 states.
Can felons purchase these to protect their children? I am under the impression that the NFA forbids felons from purchasing/possessing body armor. Please advise.
Hi Tom. You can check the full federal law at the link below. This is not legal advice and any interpretation really should be verified with a lawyer. The general understanding is that it is against the law for a felon who has been convicted of a crime of violence to possess body armor.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/931
Thanks
Deryck-PDN
Didn’t find a price anywhere.
Hi Jo. Here is the link that gives the prices. https://premierbodyarmor.com/
Thanks
Jean-PDN Video Membership
Law Enforcement sucks. A police officer could be a good thing depending on there attitude. Also, I’m not a civilian, I’m a citizen. And police are not military.