onthejon55 said:
I dnt understand why anyone would ever even consider banning armor. Its strictly defensive.
Well, I hate to belabor something that's sort of obvious, but... ya, shure, it's "strictly defensive" in the sense that you'd have to hit someone awfully hard with it in order to hurt them (and that would be even harder to do if you're wearing it).
But if you're a hardened criminal (oh dear, I just reminded myself of that old joke...) planning to commit an armed robbery, body armor would give you something of an advantage in case some fool -- er, good citizen -- or perhaps the cops, started shooting at you. So, it's "defensive" up to the point at which it gives a BG an edge in shooting back at someone.
Same applies to a cop or a soldier in a war zone, of course -- anyone in an environment in which likelihood of needing the protection it affords outweighs the inconvenience of wearing the stuff.
And one's eyebrow tends to levitate over the idea that anyone other than military, LE (I guess I might include private security guards here, if I were feeling kindly), or BG
expects to be in such an environment, or is paranoid enough to find the discomfort and inconvenience worthwhile, absent being in one...
OK, yes, "personal choice" and "freedom" and all that good stuff dictate that anyone who wants to wear it ought to be able to... but still, that eyebrow wants to do its thing.