Bulletproof vests are one of the most important parts of armour. They have been designed to protect a person from harm when he is fired at. As the name suggests, the vest basically aims at provision of protection against firearms but it is also used to guard against melee attacks and damage from small explosions such as those from hand grenades. Protection of life is one of the most important things that one has to arrange for. It is nothing less than food and shelter in terms of importance.
People try to do the best that they can to protect themselves from and this sense comes naturally to everyone, even toddlers. Installing burglar alarms, keeping weapons and using protective gear are all part of the effort for safety. Bulletproof vests are something that focus towards the safety of an individual. Just like in ancient times when wars were fought with swords, soldiers wore shields made of metal to protect themselves from being injured. Bulletproof vests have been made using the same concept. Gunfire can prove to be as fatal as an attack from a sword.
There are two basic types of bulletproof vests. One is the concealed bulletproof vest while the other one is the external bulletproof vest. Both of these types are used on different occasions for different purposes. External bulletproof vests are those which are usually worn by security personnel, police or personnel of the arms forces. These are designed to absorb the impact of not only fire from small firearms but also from stronger and bigger guns. In the battlefield, you will find that soldiers wear external vests as they are vulnerable to gunfire from bigger guns and so they need something stronger to protect themselves. External bulletproof vests are used because they are made for better protection and such hard material cannot be worn inside the clothes as hard body armor plates. People who are at risk of being shot such as lawyers, actors and other important personalities cannot wear external bulletproof vests all the time. They need to protect themselves but cannot afford to look like security personnel and so they wear concealed bulletproof vests instead.
Bulletproof vests are not just stitched and sent out for sale. It takes a complicated process to develop these vests which also includes testing of these vests and their designing in accordance with the impact that the human body can bear without risk of serious injury. The developments in technology in modern times means that the weapons have become advanced and are having growth in the impacts of their shots. This requires protective gear to be made in accordance with the impacts of guns and that is why the task of producing bulletproof vests is complicated. External bulletproof vests also have a metal plate inserted inside them and these plates are what take most of the impact. The material of these vests is not only the metal plate but also the tightly woven fiber that also contributes to the strength and role that the vest has to play.