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Bulletproof Vest

The bulletproof vest, once only for SWAT, now shields almost all police officers. This lifesaving device has existed in some form for almost as long as there have been bullets and guns. Although their use declined for a time in the early modern era when guns were just too powerful to stop with anything that could be worn

Since then, new fabrics and polymers have been designed to rectify that. Kevlar and other such fabrics are extremely strong and are often wrapped around a metal or a ceramic to further protect the wearer. The type and thickness of the vest worn will vary as per the environment the wearer will be entering.

The basic principle of the bulletproof vest is that when the bullet hits the vest, the strength of the materials causes the bullet to deform or mushroom. When this happens the force of the missile is deflected over a greater surface area causing the bullet to stop. Nevertheless, serious injury is still possible as a result of blunt force trauma and some vests will not be able to stop larger caliber ammunition.

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