# Man dons 'bulletproof' vest, asks friend to shoot him. Death ensues. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311 "2005-02-22T06:35:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/21 "2005-02-22T21:22:38Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > How did it never occur to either of these guys that testing the jacket out **first** on something like, oh, an old clothing mannequin, would be a good idea? C’mon, you think guys like this are going to have an old clothing mannequin on hand? The best they could probably manage would be a pile of empty beer cans with a pumpkin on top. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/22 "2005-02-22T22:36:59Z")
> [@monster](#): > > Broomstick, about where are you from? I grew up in Hobart, went to River Forest schools. I’m currently in the Gary-Merriville area - which, as you know, is close to Hobart. It made the local papers. Not a native - though I do find it scary how well I fit in around here… ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/23 "2005-02-22T22:53:26Z")
This exact same thing almost happened to me too (only I had control of the situation). My father bought me a flak jacket at a gun show when I was 16. I showed it to my best friend and the first words out of his mouth were, “Cool! I’ll put it on and you can shoot me”. I said absolutely not and then he countered with “Come on. Just use a .22”. The difference between us and that group is that at least one person had enough sense to stop the stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/24 "2005-02-23T01:29:56Z")
Okay, I’ll be the first idiot to ask… What’s the difference between a flak jacket and a bulletproof jacket? ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/25 "2005-02-23T02:45:35Z")
> [@liirogue](#): > > Okay, I’ll be the first idiot to ask… What’s the difference between a flak jacket and a bulletproof jacket? Not much, apparently. Actually, [Answers.com](http://Answers.com) defines flak jacket as “a bulletproof jacket or vest.” So I guess the unfortunate Darwin Award candidate was guilty of excessive confidence in the product rather than a mistaken understanding of the words “flak jacket.” He’s still an idiot, though. Poor fool. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/26 "2005-02-23T04:38:50Z")
I remember a western, where someone was about to participate in a showdown, and his buddy offered him a iron-based “bulletproof” vest. The main character (John Wayne, I think) asked him to hold it out to the side, and then shot a hole in it. He didn’t wear the vest for the showdown. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/27 "2005-02-23T06:03:15Z")
> [@liirogue](#): > > Okay, I’ll be the first idiot to ask… What’s the difference between a flak jacket and a bulletproof jacket? I still have my flak jacket. It is very heavy and very thick. I has to weigh over ten pounds. It is military green and you wear it on top of your other clothes. I would guess that it could serve reasonably well stopping a knife because it is so thick (about 1/2 inch thick or more). A bulletproof vest is usually thin and fairly light. It is meant to be worn under clothes. They are made to stop bullets but don’t do well against knives or arrows because of the way that the fibers are made. Bullet proof vests will stop the bullet from penetrating but you will still have a massive hurt because the bullet will still hit and mushroom directly against your skin at full force. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/28 "2005-02-23T06:08:11Z")
At least penis didn’t ensue. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311/29 "2005-02-23T13:40:29Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > C’mon, you think guys like this are going to have an old clothing mannequin on hand? The best they could probably manage would be a pile of empty beer cans with a pumpkin on top. I’m sure they can find one piled out back among the wheel-blocked Mustang (with the door from an old Dodge) the broken beer bottles and other yard crap. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dons-bulletproof-vest-asks-friend-to-shoot-him-death-ensues/291311.md?page=1)