Would you intervene in a shooting attack where shooter has bulletproof vest?

[natdad]

This latest shooting episode at an Oregon mall has me thinking. I have been carrying more often recently because of a seemingly increasing number of episodes where a shooter enters a mall or movie theater and starts randomly shooting. I always thought I would intervene with my firearm if I was ever in that situation, but one thing I hadn't thought of before and my wife pointed out, is that the assailant is often armed with an assault rifle and a bulletproof vest. Is there anything one can reasonably do in a situation like that? Is the best course of action simply to take cover or run?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ANGLICO]

We shoot neck and thigh in these parts. Even a vest will not protect against energy transfer from a large caliber round.

[pgrass101]

My first duty would be to ensure the safety of my family by getting them out of the line of fire. If I could best accomplish this by not engaging the shooter, then I would not engage.

If I had to engage, then I would shoot center mass. Most BG's are not wearing bullet proof vests but some type of Load bearing vest. Even if they were wearing a bullet proof vest, 158 gr Hydrashoks are going to hurt a lot

[archer51]

First of all, welcome to the forum.

As to your question. In many cases, what is reported in the press as bullet proof vest, or body armor, turns out to be nothing more than a tactical vest, which will not stop a bullet. As to the individual having an assault rifle, I know of no attacks where the individual had an assault rifle, they had a semi automatic rifle that looked like an assault rifle. An assault rifle is select fire, AR15's, imported AK47 variants and SKS rifles are all semi auto, 1 pull of the trigger, 1 round fired. Regardless I will not go up against a rifle unless there is no other option. If a shot to COM has no effect, I will follow up with shots to the lower extremities or head.

[mano3]

When the BG doesn't go down from an obvious center mass hit, adjust your shot placement!

[ghost tracker]

Is the best course of action simply to take cover or run?

Yes! Always! Regardless! Because I can shoot from cover & I can shoot on the move. As for the possibility of body armor? In determining if the threat requires my engagement, it doesn't matter if he's wearing a vest & armed with superior firepower or not. These sorts of decisions don't allow the luxury of strategy & analysis. These sorts of decisions demand immediate, decisive ACTION. Skills, training, options, gear, cover, concealment, angle, vision, responsibilities, crowd, exit & sooo many more variables are all screaming for their own importance in your decision(s). If you wanna' add the possibility of body armor to your equation, be my guest.

[nedrgr21]

A few hits COM will immobilize him long enough for carefully placed head, pelvis, knee shots. Kinda like what they said in boot camp about ambushes, "you're dead anyway, may as well attack and take as many with you as you can."

[chuckusaret]

Yes, without a doubt.......

[Stirling XD]

My plan for any situation that I need to fire at someone is always to put two rounds in center of mass. If they are still standing after that, then I will aim for the head and neck. If I don't have line of sight on the head or neck area, I will likely aim for the legs or feet or any other body part that is not protected.

If I have time to assess the situation and determine the BG might be wearing body armor, my first shot might be a head shot. Like Pgrass said, getting hit with 9mm or 45acp even with a bullet proof vest is going to be a shocker that might buy you a second or two. Escape and evade if possible.

[Gene83]

If the bad guy had a gun and was shooting, I wouldn't intervene if he was buck naked. If there is anyway on God's green earth for me to avoid getting shot or shooting someone, I'll take that approach. I hear that getting shot is no fun at all and shooting someone else opens a whole legal can of worms that you really don't want to face. If you have no other choice and they are going to kill you if you don't shoot them, then it really doesn't matter what they are wearing. It may affect the outcome, but you'll still take that shot. That's just my thoughts on the situation.

[dben002]

Much care would have to be given in a panic situation as this. Are you in a position to react and if you do with all the panic in place will you also be considered a bad guy firing a gun inside a crowed mall ?....better be damn sure what you are doing and how you go about it.

[pittypat21]

HEADSHOTS! Practice them!

Also, a bullet proof vest does not make one invincible. It just means that they're probably not going to die from any shots taken in the vest. But the amount of energy transferred from that bullet to the target will surely hurt a whole heck of a lot, and possibly knock the wind out of them, bruise ribs, etc. A few shots COM will give them quite a surprise and allow you time to close with, and destroy your enemy through fire and maneuver.

(sound familiar to anybody?)

[OldVet]

My thermo-nuclear HPs will nullify any vest. You just don't want to be too close when you fire one off.

[mcp1810]

I am not aware of any such thing as a bulletproof vest. There are lots of bullet resistant vests out there though.
There are a lot of misconceptions about soft body armor out there. Among them is that if someone is wearing one a handgun is useless against them. A person can literally be beaten to death by handgun rounds that are "defeated" by soft armor. Armor is rated by not only being perforated by a round but also by how much back side deformation is caused by the round. Instead of the wearer getting holes poked into them by the bullets they are effectively getting whacked with a hammer.

[pittypat21]

Here's a video of what happens when you get shot with a bullet proof vest.

Warning, video contains foul language.