Why aren't there bullet-proof pants?

Question

Vests but why no pants?

Answer 1

The vest is to protect the vital organs.

A bullet to the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, intestines, etc., can cause a serious set of problems. Aside from a shot to the heart causing cardiac arrest and a shot to the lungs causing respiratory failure, a puncture of the digestive system will cause blood poisoning and induce septic shock as the contents of your stomach, intestines, pancreas, etc., enter your blood. Having a bullet go into your kidney's is just as bad.

Your legs don't contain any vital organs that require extra protection. The main issues with a gun shot wound to the legs is bleeding along with muscle and bone destruction. The worse that can happen, is the bullet severing an artery, in which case it would require immediate attention to stop the blood loss.

Simply put, a gun shot wound to the leg has a much higher survivability rate than gun shot wounds to the torso.

Answer 2

They make bullet-proof vests to protect vital organs. Even though it's possible to bleed to death if shot in the leg. The biggest problem technology is a little slow. The leg and knee bend while the vest is fairly stiff. The problem you can't really run after a baddie if your legs are stiff. An example is look at the North Hollywood shootout the bank robbers had bullet-proof vests rapped around there legs. It protected them really well but they weren't able to walk very well. Thus gunned down. I would guess give them about 5-10 years and I will guarantee they will have body armor for the legs.

Answer 3

Yes you can die from getting shot in the legs. If you are shot or stabbed in the Femoral Artery, there is a good chance you will bleed out before you can get to a hospital.

My guess would be that it would be hard to move in bullet-proof pants. A vest leaves the body free to move, and run if needed. But thick heavy pants would slow you down, like trying to run in a heavy snow suit. And as said above, most of the vital organs are in the upper body.

Answer 4

If you have ever worn a bullet resistant vest you would know the answer, the vest alone weights between 3 and 6 pounds, and they are very stiff. they have made hip and groin attachments but mostly these are used for entry teams and not patrol officers because of their bulk and some loss of motion. Now the Hard armor that stops rifle projectiles would be near impossible to use these "raid vests" weight around 30-70 pounds (depending on how much armor they contain) and are non flexible, if you were to make a total body suit out of that it would be like putting the weight of a second person on. and rage on motion would be greatly reduced.

Just remembered that they do make a total body suit, Its built for bomb squad teams, the only thing exposed is the hands (need these to work on the device) suiting up in one is a chore and range of motion is very limited, and you cant move very fast in them.

Answer 5

Nothing is "bullet proof", with enough speed or mass you can defeat any type of armor, "bullet proof" is marketing BS, even "bullet proof" vests that LEOs wear that do not contain a plate can be defeated with my grandmothers knitting needles or an ice pick.

Destroying the femoral arteries is a quick way to bleed someone out, same with the arteries under the arms. No one learns anything about anatomy anymore do they?

Answer 6

It's hard enough to get people to wear vests. They're bulky, heavy, and hot. One must make compromises, even in the degree of protection to the head and chest, and pants would just be too much. If I recall, though, those two bank robbers in California a few years back who had the police so out-gunned had made and were wearing Kevlar pants.

Answer 7

Exactly what the others said. All of the vital organs are in the upper body (well almost all of them)
But you can't really die from hits in the legs

Answer 8

you can't really get killed if you got shot in the legs. you can be sersouly hurt, not not killed. Vests cover the heart and lungs and all the other important organs to keep you alive.

Answer 9

Because getting shot in the leg usually won't kill you but the chest is where most of the major organs are.