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Body armor sales are soaring following recent mass shootings

According to a new report, there has been an increase in body armor sales following several mass shootings across the country, most notably at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.To get more news about bullet proof zone, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

The report from NPR details several body armor manufacturers and retailers who spoke with news organization about their reported increase in sales but did not offer specific numbers.

David Reece, the CEO of Armored Republic, shared that he believes customers are looking for protection as they feel unsafe, saying parents especially feel they need to do something.

"You can't control what evil people do. And you can't control what lawmakers do. But you can buy your own child a backpack with armor in it," Reece said.

Armored Republic was only one of four sellers to speak with NPR about their sales; the other three were National Body Armor, Spartan Armor Systems, and UARM USA Corp.

Body armor sales have spiked before this, with retailers reporting an increase in sales throughout the summer of 2020 as civil rights protests were held nationwide.

But according to National Body Armor CEO Dave Goldberg, this recent spike came immediately after the shooting in Buffalo.

"We've been increasing ever since," he said. "We went from having most products in stock, shipping same day, to now taking four to six weeks."

There are few to no restrictions on who can buy body armor in the U.S., with the most notable banning convicted felons from purchasing it, but sellers told NPR that the enforcement of that law is not as strict as it could be.While sellers shared that the most common customers are gun owners looking to buy an accessory to their weapon, everyday people are buying them more as they look for protection in what they feel is a dangerous world.

"Most people haven't worn body armor before, and they just want to be able to wear something and feel comfortable that if they were shot with a handgun, they're gonna be protected," Goldberg told NPR.

Regarding what's being purchased, NPR reported that covert bulletproof T-shirts, backpacks, and standard bulletproof vests of various strengths are the main items.

But with gun legislation being discussed now more than ever, body armor could too be restricted, especially with at least 21 mass shooters donning it at the time of their shootings over the last 40 years.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul moved to limit body armor access on June 6, following the shooting in Buffalo.

When it comes to sellers like Reece, he thinks the action was showboating on Hochul's part and unconstitutional.

"I believe that evil people are going to do evil things. And it is very easy for people with evil intent to bypass laws or bypass intentions of manufacturers and sellers and to find black-market resources," Reece told NPR. "I think that preventing access to tools is not a way of helping free people to defend themselves against evil."