[Destructor]

"We shot at the target silhouettes' heart and lungs before aiming for its head. In real life, our instructor explained, our attackers might wear bulletproof vests."

Yeah,right. Your average street thug will be wearing a bulletproff vest! I can't believe an instructor would teach this to a class.

[ladtx]

Even if an attacker is wearing a vest, a .45 slug dead-center of the vest will make him think twice.

[ought-six]

' "We shot at the target silhouettes' heart and lungs before aiming for its head. In real life, our instructor explained, our attackers might wear bulletproof vests." Yeah,right. Your average street thug will be wearing a bulletproff vest! I can't believe an instructor would teach this to a class.'

Perhaps the instructor was referring to attackers wearing bulletproof vests, UNIFORMS AND BADGES!

[Fee]

At close range, the attacker wearing a bullet proof vest would be hurting from the busted ribs and bruises if shot by a .38 cal or higher handgun. Not unless he is wearing a Level III with Kevlar/Steel Plate body armor.

[SauronOfMordor]

Yeah,right. Your average street thug will be wearing a bulletproff vest! I can't believe an instructor would teach this to a class.

Don't scoff. An increasing number of gang-bangers are wearing vests.

Wouldn't YOU wear a vest is you KNEW you were about to walk into an armed robbery

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Yeah,right. Your average street thug will be wearing a bulletproff vest! I can't believe an instructor would teach this to a class."

It's quite conventional wisdom. If you need to stop an attack, you shoot several to the torso, and if that doesn't work, you shoot for the head. If that doesn't work, you shoot for the pelvis.

I'm just surprised that a cop would be honest with civilians about proper tactics. Cops do this because bad guys sometimes do have body armor. Citizens face the same risk.

[hattend]

Yeah,right. Your average street thug will be wearing a bulletproff vest! I can't believe an instructor would teach this to a class.

That was my first thought...I think her "class" was in front of a TV drinking some Merlot watching Robocop.

[archy]

Yeah,right. Your average street thug will be wearing a bulletproff vest! I can't believe an instructor would teach this to a class.

It's very common during gang-versus-gang shootouts, and during at least four armed robberies of which I'm aware. There's a god chance it'll be less common in the summertime, moreso in winter, but it was hardly unknown when I left Indiana 5 years back, nor is it all that unusual here in Memphis now.

And, of course, if you happen to be up against an off-duty cop pulling a stickup, as has also happened several times hereabouts lately, there's an excellent chance that they'll be wearing their taxpayer-purchased ballistic vest as usual.

-archy-/-

[rdb3]

Yeah,right. Your average street thug will be wearing a bulletproff vest! I can't believe an instructor would teach this to a class.

Actually, the instructor is not far off base. There is a lot of truth in his/her statement. You would be surprised.