By Police1 Staff
Ballistic shields are a critical layer of defense between police officers and hostile gunfire. A shield’s ability to absorb higher-caliber rounds while retaining integrity is of vital importance — it is literally a matter of life and death.
And that’s why the new ASTM E3347/E3347M-25 standard was developed, with a bid to improve protection for Law Enforcement ballistic shield users. The standard is designed to test ballistic protection in real-world conditions covering multiple aspects, including edge shot and cluster shot ballistic resistance under rigorous environmental conditions.
Until recently, ballistic shields were only self-certified by manufacturers under the 40-year-old NIJ 0108.01 standard. The NIJ standard spans ballistic resistant protective materials and comprises discrete levels of increasing ballistic threat. It requires a material to survive five shots without perforation, with each shot at least two inches from the shield edge and no closer than two inches to any other shot to be considered a ‘fair hit’. While a perforation from a fair hit disqualifies a shield, a perforation from an unfair hit does not, and viewports are not tested at all under the NIJ standard.
In short, ASTM E3347 (Standard Specification for Ballistic-Resistant Shields Used by Law Enforcement Officers) provides law enforcement agencies with a much tougher, more reliable metric for purchasing ballistic shields. Under this new standard, an approved ISO-qualified third-party lab must perform testing, and SEI, an ASTM affiliate, can provide ongoing verification of any manufacturer’s equipment that passes.
GC Patrol Shield is the first (and currently, only) ballistic shield that has passed and been verified to stop rifle and shotgun threats under ASTM E3347-25. Moreover, GC Shield has met the standard with its COTS product, meaning that shields GC has been selling in the market meet the standard requirements without any changes.
Specifically, this means GC Patrol Shield has been tested and shown to protect against ASTM-Shield-RF1 and ASTM-Shield-SG threats:
● 7.62 x 51mm M80
● 7.62 x 39mm MSC
● 5.56 x 45mm M193
● 12 Gauge Shotgun 1oz slug
Here are some ways in which the new law enforcement-focused standard improves upon the old NIJ standard for ballistic resistant materials:
- Conditioning (All testing performed under rigorous hot, cold and water submersion conditioning cycles)
- Edge shots (the ASTM standard maintains the same two-inch tolerance as the old NIJ standard for “shot-to-edge distance,” and it mandates testing less than an inch beyond that perimeter)
- Cluster shots (the ASTM standard asks that cluster shots from the rifle threats be taken in groups of three within a 4-inch diameter circle)
- Angled shots (the ASTM standard requires some shots be taken at a 30° angle)
- Testing required on viewports, any exposed hardware, and any identified weak points
- Shield must be suspended by its handles throughout testing, with handles remaining operational throughout the test
The GC Shield complies with ASTM E3347 while weighing significantly less than traditional ballistic shields - making it far less taxing for officers to carry and deploy.
Design makes the difference
GC Shield is lighter and offers superior ballistic performance because it relies on advanced materials and design, unlike heavier conventional shields. This combination makes the shield incredibly light yet extremely strong, capable of stopping multiple rifle rounds while effectively dispersing impact energy.
Sizes available
GC Patrol Shield, Full Size:
● Dimensions: 35” x 20” x 1”
● Weight: 20 lb
● Can form an horizontal or vertical shield wall when combined with additional GC Shields
GC Patrol Shield, Compact Size:
● Dimensions: 20” x 17” x 1”
● Weight: 10 lb
● Built for the front seat of a vehicle.
● Can form an horizontal or vertical shield wall when combined with additional GC shields
An expert’s assessment
Before becoming GC Patrol Shield’s Tactical Defense Liaison, Ron Tetreau had a 30-plus-year law enforcement and military career. A decorated police officer and retired Army MSG, he was assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Tetreau was part of the 1996 Olympic Security Team, involved in undercover operations, and served as a liaison to General Officers including Gen. David Petraeus, Gen. Ray Odierno, and Gen. Stanley McChrystal. He now runs Asymmetric Training and Assessment Group (ATAG) LLC, a tactical training enterprise for law enforcement operators.
All this experience adds weight to Tetreau’s assessment of the GC Patrol Shield. He appreciates its lighter weight “20 lb versus a conventional shield’s 30-40 lb,” he noted — along with its ease of carry thanks to six attachment points for rifle sling or backpack strap attachment.
“We had a precision marksman shooting right to the edge of the GC Patrol Shield, and it still gave a full level of protection,” Tetreau said. “If you did this with a conventional shield, you would see perforations, which could severely injure the shield operator, not to mention spalling or bullet ricochet, which could severely injure anyone near the shield. The GC Patrol Shield doesn’t have that issue, because it stops edge shots and encapsulates the round as it comes in.”
Tetreau also commends the standard-sized GC Patrol Shield’s full-body coverage for kneeling officers. “I’m five foot eight and I can get down completely behind it,” he said. “There’s also no viewport in this shield that might compromise its ballistic strength.Fortunately, visibility isn’t a problem, because the GC Patrol Shield can be equipped with a small video camera and behind-shield monitor so you can see what’s going on at all times.”
His conclusion: “As a former SWAT commander and active shooter instructor, and with my military experience, I would say the GC Patrol Shield meets and even surpasses some of the steel and ceramic shields that are out there, and at only half the weight.”
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