Introduction -
Ever since the invention of firearms in the 13th century, people have been abusing them for other purposes such as robberies, or murder. Firearms were also the main weapon used during wars for their effectiveness and short time required to set up compared to stationary sentries. Simple knife fights turned into horrific gun fights that could accidentally harm other pedestrians through the ricochet of bullets in the surrounding area. Furthermore, even after World War 2, the number of firearm related deaths kept increasing year by year until the 1970s, with 14.3 deaths per hundred thousand people in the US. (Statistia, n.d) This lead to the people requesting the creation of clothing or material that would be able to counteract
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Not wearing a bulletproof vest means that if a police officer were to be shot by a robber, the bullet would penetrate through the skin, either staying inside or going through the body part, causing serious damage. Bulletproof vests, however, are strong enough to be able to absorb the impact of the bullet and can protect the wearer from small fragments that may come from explosives like grenades. Bulletproof vests can range in effectiveness depending on whether it is made from multiple layers of fibers and thread, to being made of Kevlar, which is a synthetic fiber that was developed by Stephanie Kwolek in 1965. (america.aljizzera, …show more content…
For example, on July 29, 2001, six officers were escorting an engine to another area. At one point, the engine exploded, immediately killing three of the officers and severely injuring two to which they died from their wounds. The last officer had also received major injuries, but because he was wearing a bulletproof vest his vital organs were protected, which prevented shrapnel and small bits of metal from injuring him. (policechiefmagazine.org, Sergeant Adrienne Quigly, 10/10/2008) Bulletproof vests have other advantages than just protecting the wearer from bullets, like protecting vital organs and body from projectiles and external