Hi there, I'm Tom, the President of PriveCo and BulletSafe.com. Today I wanted to take a little time to tell you about who we are as a company, what we stand for, and why we do things the way we do.

When I launched BulletSafe.com in 2013, I had one goal in mind: to make bulletproof vests and other personal body armor affordable and accessible for everyone who needs it. There are lots of dangerous professions these days: security guards, private investigators, pawn brokers, and bounty hunters just to name a few. Not to mention hunting enthusiasts, preppers, and people who live in dangerous neighborhoods through no fault of their own. I believe that there's no good reason that someone who just wants to protect themselves should be denied that ability. This may seem obvious, but you might be surprised how many body armor manufacturers and retailers don't think that way - I sure was.

If you search for a bulletproof vest online, you'll encounter dozens of websites stating that "Our policy is to only sell body armor to active law enforcement and military personnel," or something to that effect. It's not just online, either. Some investigative news teams have reported being denied the sale of bulletproof vests at a wide range of online and in-person retailers alike.

And it isn't just retailers, either. A couple of years ago, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would prohibit all civilians from purchasing any enhanced body armor unless authorized by a government agency. That bill never made it past the House, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to introduce a similar bill again. Besides that, the fact that it was even introduced really tells you something about how the people in power feel about body armor. For some reason, there are a lot of people who don't want you to have a bulletproof vest if you aren't a member of the police or military.

I think that sort of attitude is elitist and inconsiderate of the things real people have to deal with every day. It's one thing to have stricter regulations on civilians purchasing weapons, but why should that apply to personal protection? Why should the rest of us have to be more killable? You can't hurt someone with a bulletproof vest. They only make people safer.

One group whose needs we try to cater to in particular are security personnel. You never hear anybody standing up for the security guards. The cops see them as regular civilians who shouldn't have access to the kind of equipment they use, and the regular public views anyone who carries a badge and a gun with fear and suspicion. But these are just dedicated men and women trying to do their jobs and protect you and your property. I think it should go without saying that those people deserve access to affordable and high-quality protection, just like me, and you, and everybody else.

Another group that needs our help are people who fill and service ATMs and transport cash. You probably never think about how the money arrives at the ATM or the bank, but someone has to carry it there and that person deserves to not die doing his or her job. There are hundreds of other jobs that you never think about that need protection, too, and BulletSafe is happy to serve their needs.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a little better understanding now of what we're all about, and why I think the work we do here at BulletSafe is so important.