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October 26, 20164 Products to Keep You Protected in 2017
January 16, 2017When buying body armor, levels of protection are denoted on the products: For example, level II, level IIA, level III, etc. These are called the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) standards for ballistic resistance of body armor. The level of the given piece of armor lets the wearer know the minimum speed and ammunition size it is expected to stop without piercing the plate.
These levels are immensely useful in determining the correct choice for the wearer (as some are concerned with stopping handgun rounds and others may wish to have protection against rifle rounds), but also allow body armor manufacturers to focus on adherence to these given standards and then certify them.
What Is the NIJ?
The National Institute of Justice is one of the program offices that comprises the Offices of Justice Programs (OJP), a branch of the Department of Justice (DoJ). Founded in 1968, the NIJ was created as a governmental research program. It’s no coincidence that the NIJ was founded within a few years of modern ballistic protection.
The NIJ is tasked with evaluating various armaments and protective products to determine their efficacy in various combat situations with a focus on their use domestically. The office keeps police and government agents that carry a firearm in mind when evaluating products. The NIJ evaluates everything from tear gas munitions to vehicle tracking devices to handheld metal detectors, all with the intent of clearly determining the efficacy of their use in the hands of government forces.
What Is the Importance of These Standards?
The NIJ updates or implements new standards every several years to clearly determine how effective each evaluated product is under the most advanced threats. The research they do and standards they publish help government agencies and local policing determine the best products for use in the line of duty.
The NIJ most recently updated their standards for body armor ballistic resistance in 2008 but has had standards in place for decades.
At Body Armor Megastore, we ensure that our products adhere to the NIJ standards in full. To learn more about every product we offer or to buy AR500 steel plates, visit https://bambodyarmor.wpenginepowered.com/.
