Second Chance (body armor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Second Chance is a body armor manufacturing company and was the first one to use kevlar for body armor. The company was founded in the early 1970's by former U.S. Marine and pizza delivery owner/driver Richard Davis. Davis developed the kevlar vest after being shot by and shooting three armed robbers during a delivery.
Davis started his company out of his garage. In early sales demostrations, he would put on one of his vests and then shoot himself, usually with a firearm provided by whatever agency he was demonstrating for.
In 1998, Second Chance introduced Zylon-based body armor (bullet-resistant vests), as a lightweight alternative to kevlar. The zylon material used in the vests was supplied by Japan-based Toyobo.
In June 2005, the National Institute of Justice, the United States government agency responsible for developing safety standards, determined that these Zylon-based vests did not meet the required standards and may be defective. The United States Department of Justice advised law enforcement agencies to replace the vests used by police officers.
On August 2, 2005, Second Chance was acquired by Armor Holdings, Inc. for $45 million.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Bulletproof Vest Initiative - U.S. Department of Justice
- U.S. Government Sues Maker of Defective Police Body Armor - AP article on officer.com
- Second Chance on Zylon recall
