Do I need to wear a bulletproof vest to lunch? A sort of funny story.

chic

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Yesterday I took a lunch break with my friend and we went to a local place for a quick lunch. While we were eating and talking we suddenly heard a loud report like a gun shot! We both nearly ducked under the table. Everybody was alarmed and panic stricken. The guy sitting behind us stood up and showed everyone his soda can which had made the sound when he popped it open. The manager told him to get another can - gratis, which he did, but he left the place all redfaced, though nothing was his fault. Everyone is just so on edge these days because of all the mass shootings in my country. My friend and I were rattled and it made me think how would it be if things got so bad we all had to wear bulletproof vests in public for fear of getting shot. Both funny and sad at the same time.
 

I was a kid, when JFK was elected in 1960. Both of us, being Catholic, and coming from Massachusetts, I felt happy. All was right in the world. My granddad even worked on his Senator/Presidential campaigns. Nov. 22, 1963 changed everything. By the time Bobby was shot in '68, the world was a decidedly less idealized place. I'm not sure what happened was the world descending into madness, or me- losing my innocence. And, as the years progress, I still don't know.
 
I lived in Hollywood in the early 1970s and would frequently stroll down Hollywood Boulevard. Lots of tourists would stop to examine each star in the sidewalk and reflect for a moment if it was someone they recognized. A couple with a boy about 10 years old was doing exactly this. The parents commented on a star's name - a person unfamiliar to the child. He asked who it was, and they said never mind because the person had died a while back.
The kid said, "Oh... Who shot him?"

This kid's experience with high-profile deaths was that they were the result of assassinations.
 
True. There isn't but humor and joking help to alleviate the tension. Otherwise we'd all be frantic all the time. Too much violence in the US for my taste.

Fair enough. But I shudder to think about how a victim's family members and friends would feel reading some of the posts in this thread.
 
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It's so sad that we're at this point now in this country. Every place I go to, I case to see where could I hide or duck into if someone comes in shooting. Imagine what our children go through on a day to day basis...knowing that this is their reality. Bulletproof vests and head gear (never understood why officers don't protect their heads too) might not be a bad idea in this day and age.
 
It's so sad that we're at this point now in this country. Every place I go to, I case to see where could I hide or duck into if someone comes in shooting. Imagine what our children go through on a day to day basis...knowing that this is their reality. Bulletproof vests and head gear (never understood why officers don't protect their heads too) might not be a bad idea in this day and age.

SWAT Teams and Tactical Response Teams wear bulletproof everything. The reason police do not walk around wearing bulletproof headgear is because the perception it gives to the public. Seeing cops in bulletproof headgear, along with vests may, in many instances, give citizens the thought that a dangerous situation exists, or that the cops may be expecting trouble. It’s a cop’s job not to instill fear, but rather to keep the citizens at peace.

There’s a bit more to it, but you get the general idea.
 
I don’t know his whole story, but I do remember reading about him and that he was a really bad dude. I think he was also a cop killer among other things.
Yes, there was a shoot out with police at Stringy Bark Creek that resulted in the death of three mounted policeman. Up until that time he was basically a horse thief, the 1870s equivalent of grand theft auto. After that he had a price on his head but his story is a very complicated one. He has his admirers as well as his detractors. In the end he was captured while wearing his armour during a siege. He had planned for blow up a train bringing police and black trackers to his general whereabouts and the police were alerted by a school teacher. His armour allowed them to capture him alive. He had multiple bullet wounds in his arms and legs, but not his body. He was hanged and his head was cut off. The skull used to be on displayed in the old Melbourne gaol but was eventually stolen. No-one knows it whereabouts today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Kelly
 
Yes, there was a shoot out with police at Stringy Bark Creek that resulted in the death of three mounted policeman. Up until that time he was basically a horse thief, the 1870s equivalent of grand theft auto. After that he had a price on his head but his story is a very complicated one. He has his admirers as well as his detractors. In the end he was captured while wearing his armour during a siege. He had planned for blow up a train bringing police and black trackers to his general whereabouts and the police were alerted by a school teacher. His armour allowed them to capture him alive. He had multiple bullet wounds in his arms and legs, but not his body. He was hanged and his head was cut off. The skull used to be on displayed in the old Melbourne gaol but was eventually stolen. No-one knows it whereabouts today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Kelly

This brings up a good point. I read in this article that he had bullet wounds even with wearing armor. Many people have the perception that bulletproof vests are just that, but the opposite is true. Bulletproof vests will stop most all bullets, but not every bullet. Every now and then, one gets through. I think the last that I read was that bulletproof vests are anywhere from 98-98.5% effective. It’s that 1.5% that always concerned me.

I also read the story re: Mr. Kelly. He is infamous, as should be expected.
 
This brings up a good point. I read in this article that he had bullet wounds even with wearing armor. Many people have the perception that bulletproof vests are just that, but the opposite is true. Bulletproof vests will stop most all bullets, but not every bullet. Every now and then, one gets through. I think the last that I read was that bulletproof vests are anywhere from 98-98.5% effective. It’s that 1.5% that always concerned me.

I also read the story re: Mr. Kelly. He is infamous, as should be expected.
My husband said bulletproof vests are useless against a high-powered rifle round.
 

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