Criminals: Armed, dangerous, and – increasingly – armored

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Body armor: It's a lifesaving tool for law enforcement, soldiers on the battlefield, and now, the bad guys?

Twenty years ago, one of the most horrific examples of killers clad in armor played out on the streets of Los Angeles. But that was just the beginning.  The mass murderers in San Bernadino, Aurora, and even accused Orlando cop-killer Markeith Lloyd all wore some type of body armor.

Tony Tanner and his wife own Kenjo Limited, a Clearwater company in the business of personal protection. He told us it's surprisingly easy to get -- perhaps too easy. 

"The people that are really determined and want to get body armor can obviously do a hunt and a search online. They will find many places," Tanner said.

Why is it so readily available? Tanner said there is no law restricting the sale of body armor in Florida at the moment, but there are unwritten rules that some vendors live by.

"People like us and other well respected brand names don't sell to gun shows," Tanner continued.

But you can go to some gun shows and buy body armor. Tanner said body armor sold at gun shows is used body armor and those that sell new body armor generally will get it from a company who may or may not know where it's going.

And that's not the only avenue for would-be killers looking for a little protection.

"For example, other than the gun shows, you can also buy it on eBay. There's a lot of body armor sold on eBay," Tanner explained.

And that poses a problem for local law enforcement who may now have to deal with a criminal who is armed, dangerous, and armored.

"Our officers are trained to be aware of it,” offered Corporal Jared Douds with the Tampa Police Department.  “Usually we can tell if somebody is wearing it or not and we can take appropriate action based on that.”

He also had a sobering thought for anyone who may have bad intentions.

"The simple reality is nothing is truly bulletproof. If you strike something with a large enough projectile at a fast enough speed, you can penetrate anything."