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My take is that there is nothing inherently wrong with body armor........ but it just isn't for me, at least not for daily wear. I'm what you might call "horizontally challenged", and I sweat a LOT when the temperatures go up....even in just a t-shirt and shorts (although, I have lost 47 lbs since March 8th, and am on track to lose what excess weight remains by early 2016). I have a number of friends in the shooting community who have full-on kit, whatever you would call "military grade" armor with the heavy ceramic trauma plates, etc. (I don't know anything about the "levels" of armor protection.) These friends are, for the most part, veterans of the recent wars, and they are heavily into all kinds of competitive shooting events of the "run and gun" variety. They also participate in fund-raising remembrance events (like this past Memorial day), where they either carry a ruck for 23 hours with the equivalent weight of the trauma plates, or they wear the actual vest and plates for 23 hours, and they walk, earning donations by the mile from supporters, which go to the specific charity which organizes the events (can't think of the name at the moment).

For me personally, I don't know if I could wear heavy armor because of my back. I find the weight of even a pistol and magazines in a shoulder holster to be uncomfortable these days for me. BUT.... the heavier armor is the only kind that would interest me, and then only in the HIGHLY unlikely event of actually being in a pitched battle. I'm 62 years old, and I'm at that weird age where I'd love to live another 20-30 years, but I don't care if I die tomorrow because I have the assurance of knowing where I'm headed. So for ME, in that context, body armor just doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

If I worked on a shooting range, I might feel different.