by Michael A. Black
Once again this year I had the privilege of roaming the 12.6 miles of aisles at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas in covering the 36th annual SHOT Show for TheGunMag.com. This year’s show had a record-setting 65,000 spectators, which was about 5,000 more than last year. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which owns and manages the show, provided many interesting seminars dealing with proper gun usage and shooting. There were several informative training seminars for law enforcement personnel on low light training, critical incident planning, tactical deployment techniques, and breaching equipment and techniques. The principal attraction, however, is the immense assortment of the latest firearms and equipment.
One of the high points for me this year, courtesy of my friend and GunMag.com editor Joe Tartaro, was his personal introduction to retired Special Forces Lt. Col. Robert K. Brown, the publisher of Soldier of Fortunemagazine. Brown was at several different booths and was signing copies of his autobiographical book I Am Soldier of Fortune: Dancing With Devils. There were plenty of other celebrities on hand, including Olympic medalist Kim Rhode, television actor Joe Montegna and “The Gunny,” R. Lee Ermey. Ermey was also featured as narrator in several well made home protection videos, produced by Glock, that highlighted techniques for self-protection.
One of my first stops was at the Project Child Safe booth, which offered information on the NSSF-sponsored national firearm safety program designed to raise awareness about safety to gunowners. It has been sponsored exclusively by the NSSF since 2008. One of its principal aims is to keep guns out of the hands of children by distributing gun locks and educational materials. Project Child Safe has handed out over 36 million free firearm safety kits to gunowners across the United States and has partnered with law enforcement agencies in 15,000 communities across the country. For more information, visit ProjectChildSafe.org, or contact NSSF at 11 Mile Hill Rd., Dept. TGM, Newtown, CT 08470; phone: 203-426-1320.
On the subject of other sensitive topics, I checked out the US Armor booth to get a closer look at their latest line of ballistic underwear. These pants offer maximum protection while also providing comfort and breathability with a close, streamlined fit that won’t cause discomfort. The fabric feels light to the touch and is about the same weight and thickness as a regular pair of skivvies. They’re designed to be worn under trousers but over regular undergarments. All US Armor products are NIJ tested for both passage (“hole or no hole”) and back-force impact trauma. This latter test involves the approximation of possible injury to human beings by measuring the amount of deformation done to a clay model that is shot while wearing the ballistic undergarment. Similar products are currently being used by the Army to prevent injuries from IEDs. The US Armor line seems aimed at law enforcement, boasting ballistic protection from rounds ranging from 9mm to .44 Magnums. Special panels are inserted into a carrier when it’s worn. The lightweight material has to be some of the softest, thinnest body armor I’ve ever seen. Preorders are being taken now and the garment should be available on April 30. For more information check out USARMOR.com online, or contact US Armor Corp., 16433 Valley View Ave., Dept. TGM, Cerritos, CA 90703; phone: 800-443-9798.
In fairness, I did speak with another company, BCD International, at a separate booth which also offered ballistic underwear. An English gentleman named Matthew Searle introduced himself to me as “the inventor of the product.” According to Searle, his version, which is known as “The Pug,” is in use by both the US and UK armies to prevent groin, colon, and femoral artery injuries. The items BCB International had on display looked virtually identical to the ones at US Armor, except for a slight color difference and are listed as being currently available on their website.
Regardless of the brand, this is definitely something that all police officers should consider adopting as part of their standard uniform. For this version, more information can be found at bcbinusa.com, or you can contact them in the US at: BCB International LLC, Unit D, Caswell Industrial, Dept. TGM, 6154 126th Avenue North, Largo,FL 33773; phone: 855-369-3360.
DKX Armor, (2101 Lovett Ave., Dept. TGM, Bismarck, ND 58504; phone: 850-368-9598) had an interesting display of their lightweight, but durable body armor plates. The plates, made of an ultra-high molecular weight polyurethane compound called dyneema, only weigh 2.9 pounds and will stop a variety of high caliber rounds. The plates are NIJ tested to stop up to six rounds of .308. There were a variety of tested plates on display attesting to their reliability, and a few more floating in a tub of water. Not only are these ultra-durable plates virtually impenetrable, they’re also buoyant. You could literally make a flotation device out of them. For more information online, visit DKXarmor.com.
More innovation was present as well in a variety of locations. One company, Rite in the Rain (2614 Pacfific Highway East, Dept. TGM, Tocoma, WA 98424; online: RiteintheRain.com), offered a unique array of waterproof paper products specifically created for writing field notes in all types of weather, from torrential downpours to blistering desert heat. To demonstrate the veracity of this claim, their display boasted a notebook of clearly legible, handwritten material that was under a constant spray of water for four straight days. The notebooks, journals, and copy paper allow transcription by pencil or an all-weather pen. Another company, Weapon-Clear (1111 Desert Lane, Dept. TGM, Las Vegas, NV 89102) offered a unique, portable gunclearing tube that is stacked with special rubber inserts. These inserts are replaceable and are suitable for all calibers ranging from handguns to rifles. The traps are lightweight, ranging from 22 to 50 pounds, and require little to no maintenance. They’re also steel-lined to ensure safety. (E-mail: sales@weaponclear.com for further information.)
Tactical Electronics (2200 North Hemlock Ave., Dept. TGM, Broken Arrow, OK 72761; phone: 866-541-7996; online: tacticalelectronics.com) offered some of the latest versions of helmet cameras applicable to both military and civilian law enforcement. The HCT 3 Helmet Camera offers 4 hours of AV recording in low light conditions, live wireless transmission, is weather resistant, and can be mounted by both a rail and a Velcro strip. The unit is small and unobtrusive and has a great many applications for both training scenarios as well as recording actual operations.
There were a variety of training target devices on hand, including a mobile set of life-size, three-dimensional, freestanding targets from Dummies Unlimited (2435 Pine St., Dept. TGM, Pomona, CA 91767; online: DummiesUnlimited.com). These targets are ideal for realistic training that includes room entries, hostage situations, sniper training, and “Shoot, Don’t-shoot” judgment scenarios. The dummies can also be equipped with a special “reactionary block” in the head and chest that cause the dummy to fall over when struck by a shot to the kill zone. And if monetary concerns are cutting into training budget considerations, another company, RTS Target Systems(, offered a new line of plastic targets that mounted on a metal base and can absorb a large quantity of rounds without having to be replaced. The targets are composed of a selfsealing plastic and feature a digital sensor that automatically records the number of hits. The applications are for both indoor and outdoor ranges. (More info available online at RTSTargetsystems.com).
Breaching Technologies (PO Box 7001468, Dept. TGM, San Antonio, TX 78270) had their array of portable breaching doors on hand. These doors, which can be installed into a structure or used free-standing, can simulate up to three locks. Their complete line of breaching rams and tactical entry tools were also there. As someone who’s taken down a variety of doors on raids while on active police duty, I was impressed by the assortment. Visit breachingtechnologies.com for further information.
Redman Training gear (10045 102nd Terrace, Dept. TGM, Sebastian, FL 32958; online: redmangear.com) offered some formidable looking equipment with a new line of padded gloves that looked like they could be used in the next MMA championship match. The full-protection body suits provide excellent hands-on experience and blunt trauma protection for training officers in the use of impact weapons and also in delivering punches and kicks. These suits are ideal for creating realistic one-on-one defensive tactics training sessions, as well as training for large scale disturbances such as riot situations. All the lecturing in the world about hand-tohand defensive tactics can’t take the place of a single, exhausting bout with an opponent in the Redman suit. Add to this the fact that a lot of new recruits might not have ever been in a real knock-down, drag-out fight. Better they should first experience what it’s like to throw a punch full-force and have it collide with a solid body in training than in a real confrontation on the street. Physical confrontations and assaults against officers have become all too common nowadays.
