Body Armor Sales Skyrocketing

by
posted on February 4, 2021
sellmark-logo.jpg

Body armor is traditionally associated with law-enforcement and military personnel, but the pandemic and civil unrest have spiked sales among law-abiding citizens, according to Blake Waldrop, founder and CEO of RMA Armament in Centerville, IA. “Over the last year, that market has blown doors open to be the common citizen,” he told WOI/KCWI-TV in Des Moines, IA.

“If you would have sat here two years ago and said this was going to happen, I would have laughed right in your face and said, ‘You’re crazy; that’s never going to happen.’ But here we are,” he said in an expanded news report on the TV station’s website. Traditionally, 80 percent of his company’s sales are to law-enforcement departments and officers. Last year, civilians comprised the majority of his customers.

The demand has caught the attention of the industry, too. Sellmark, a Mansfield, TX-company that already counted SightMark, Pulsar, Firefield and Kopfjäger in its stable of firearm-related firms, recently acquired BulletSafe Body Armor.

“This is a product line that transcends the purpose of our other brands of enhancing outdoor experiences,” said Sellmark founder and President James Sellers. “BulletSafe is about saving lives—equipping people to make it home to their families. I can’t think of a better way to make a difference. To say we’re excited about adding BulletSafe to our family of brands is an understatement.”

Since 2013, BulletSafe has revolutionized the personal-protection industry with high-end, affordable body armor. The company’s Bulletproof Vest offers level IIIA protection, the protection level in highest demand by consumers. Level IIIA is rated to protect wearers from handgun bullets up to .44 Mag. and achieves this rating without heavy armor plating. The vest is lightweight, comfortable and secure, with armor pockets in the front and rear to accommodate future armor-plate upgrades.

“I started BulletSafe to save lives, and I sold it to Sellmark because they have the resources to make BulletSafe a premier body-armor brand, saving even more lives,” said company founder Tom Nardone.

Latest

Rem700 Partsview
Rem700 Partsview

Exploded View: Remington Model 700

Since 1962, more Remington Model 700s have been sold than any other bolt-action rifle before or since, and this detailed disassembly guide, exploded view and brief history of the platform, is one worth filing near the toolbox.

Preview: Wildgame Innovations ZeroTrace Portable

The PureION technology employed by Wildgame Innovations’ ZeroTrace line of odor-elimination products chemically neutralizes offending smells—without resorting to an ozone generator—and the company’s Portable unit is the line’s most versatile product yet.

Review: Christensen Arms Modern Precision Rimfire Rifle

The Modern Precision Rimfire from Christensen Arms builds upon time-honored blueprints and is crafted from its maker's flash-forged carbon-fiber technology to create an accurate and fun-to-shoot repeating rifle.

New For 2025: H&K MR A4 Series

Building on its existing commercial line of MR556 and MR762 rifles, HK USA now offers A4 versions of both rifles, as well as large-format pistol variants.

Gun Of The Week: Smith & Wesson Model 1854

Welcome to another American Rifleman Gun Of The Week video, and this time we have a modernized American lever-action to take to the range. Meet the Smith & Wesson Model 1854.

New For 2025: Kimber 2K11

With its new 2K11, Kimber now has a dedicated design based on the 2011 concept that comes loaded with a number of added features.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.