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In the wake of all the tragedies that have dominated the air-waves in 2015, many people throughout the United States are beginning to worry about their own safety. While some are looking for ways to limit these attacks by imposing restrictions and regulations on the tools used, others are seeking more immediate methods to secure their personal safety. After all, having the right personal protective equipment (PPE) not only secures your peace of mind but also ensures you can stay safe should you find yourself in an active shooting situation. With that in mind, a variety of companies have been expanding their offerings in recent years and now offer PPE safety gear for just about anyone.

What Do You Want Bullet Proof?

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With technology today, companies can make just about any object in a way that will make it bullet proof. Of course, the term “bullet proof” is a bit of a misnomer as nothing will really guarantee protection. Still, companies today are using advanced manufacturing to develop all sorts of PPE safety gear that will help ensure you stay as safe as you can be. If you can imagine it, they can make it, which means people from all walks of life are able to get the protective gear they need.

Some Popular PPE Safety Options

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Joe Curran, the president of Bullet Blocker, has really been able to find a niche with the increased demand. He began his company some time after the Columbine shootings primarily as a means to keep his children safe. Wanting to give them the best chance at survival, he designed a backpack that could help protect them against a school shooting. Today, he sells these backpacks rated at IIIA, which is an official designation to show it will protect against virtually all handgun rounds. He also has started manufacturing other options, including helmets, lab coats and vests.

Of course, Bullet Blocker is not the only company that has entered into the playing field to offer this more unique PPE. Instead, those interested may also look towards a company like KApex Armor, which also creates a ballistic protection backpack. Taking this a step forward for the business professional, they decided to design a briefcase, which provides that same IIIA protection and a quick-release button to allow it to expand out and provide a shield for your entire upper body. If that is not right for you, then perhaps a bullet proof windbreaker or compression shirt is more your speed. If all else fails, you can also order a custom-made jacket.

What Should You Get?

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As mentioned before, nothing is really bullet proof, but the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) does have a scale at which to measure the effectiveness of a product. The IIIA rated of the Bullet Blocker backpacks means specifically that it will protect against all smaller rounds up to and including the .44 Magnum semi-jacketed hollow point (SJHP) at 1430 ft/s. For greater protection, an NIJ III rated device will block some rifle rounds, including the larger 7.62x51mm NATO round (up to 2780 ft/s). For those who are worried about sniper attacks, the type IV offers the best option, protecting against .30-06 armor piercing bullets traveling up to 2880 ft/s. But, let’s put all those numbers aside for a minute and consider the situation.

Since most shooting in the country are done with a handgun, a IIIA-rated piece of PPE safety gear like Bullet Blocker should be more than sufficient to take care of anything you might encounter. After all, shooting any pistol larger than a .44 Magnum is usually just not convenient. Of course, if you do live in fear of those rare rifle shootings, a level III or IV may be better. Just keep in mind, you’ll have a much harder time finding these items and you’ll also find the extra cost (and weight) is usually just not worth it.

Are you taking measures to make sure you could be safe during an active shooting event? Is there any PPE safety gear you are looking at getting?

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