With proper wear and use, the armor panels in bulletproof backpacks or vests increase your odds of survival from the types of bullets they are meant to stop by 95 percent. Indeed, they are effective. However, there are certain exceptions to situations where bulletproof backpacks are actually “bulletproof.”
- Remember that no body armor can be considered “bulletproof” because bullets will still affect it. While bulletproof backpacks have many useful applications, it’s important to note their limitations first. When we say something is “bulletproof,” we mean that it can stop most bullets from going through. A bulletproof backpack can withstand impacts from bullets because when hit, the armor will do all in its power to stop the projectile from entering its layers and harming the user.
- The wearer of a bulletproof backpack is not invulnerable, and constant bullets hit can damage a bulletproof backpack. In addition to not being able to withstand an endless number of rounds from all ballistic weapons, it isn’t effective against stab wounds unless it is classified as multi-threat armor.
- There are many moving parts in active shooter situations, and anything might happen. There is no way to know whether you will be shot with one of the “correct” types of weapons, at the “right” distance, from the “right” angle, and therefore have your bulletproof backpack save your life.
- Wearing a bulletproof backpack DOES NOT ensure you will escape an incident unscathed. However, it DOES increase the likelihood that you will sustain only minor injuries rather than serious ones.
- While bullets traveling at high velocities are dissipated to some extent by a bulletproof backpack, the user is still likely to be knocked unconscious by the impact. Additional injuries, including potentially life-threatening internal wounds, may result from the weapon’s caliber, ammo, and shooting distance. However, it is still preferable to the alternative, which is to have a ballistic hit pierce your body.
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