History Main / PocketProtector

* In ''Film/HardTarget'' it happens twice. The first time is a subversion since the homeless man's dog tags fail ''completely'' to stop an arrow fired at his heart. Later, it happens when Chance's uncle gets shot in the chest with an arrow. It it later revealed that the arrow only pierced the hip flask he kept some moonshine in.

* Subverted in the Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures novel ''Death and Diplomacy'': a character tells the story of his grandfather, who went away to war wearing a crucifix of great sentimental value. One day, a bullet fired at him hit the crucifix -- which shattered, aggravating a wound that would otherwise not have been lethal.

One commonly-used justification is that it's an attempted assassination; silencers are much less effective on larger caliber bullets, and completely pointless with supersonic rounds - [[CaptainObvious supersonic rounds are NOT silent as they make loud cracks when they break the sound barrier]]. The kind of bullets that can be considered silent can thus be rendered nonlethal by many everyday objects.

* In early 2009, an unstable gun-wielder burst into a church in Illinois. The first few shots that he fired at the pastor were absorbed by the Bible that he was holding. Unfortunately, there were more bullets.

* Badges worn by police officers have been proven to be able to stop small arms fire: [[http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/7034990/ Here's a story]] of a cop saved by his badge.

* The ''GunsmithCats'' manga has Rally surviving a bullet to the side thanks to the bullet having to penetrate not only her car's roll cage, but a collapsible rifle stowed in her jacket. The rifle is left with a bullet hole in the barrel and stock, and Rally is left with broken ribs as it was a fired from a ''[[{{BFG}} fourteen-inch .45 Desert Eagle]].''

* Literature/TheBible version happens ''again'' in MatthewReilly's {{Temple}}. {{Justified|Trope}} in that the shot was from a flintlock.

* In ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'', JamesBond is saved from an assassin's knife by a wad of cash he had earlier won off the BigBad Kamal Khan.

* In the novel ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'', JamesBond is saved from Red Grant's bullet by his trusty cigarette case. Which Bond surreptiously put in place while the mentally dubious Grant explained how they'd set him up: Grant was used a special gun disguised in a book. Meant for public executions, it used a special low-power cartridge for minimum noise, and an expanding (dum-dum) bullet for maximum damage from the low power.

* Parodied in ''HotShots: Part Deux:'' Ramada is saved by a locket, which upon examination still has the perfect condition, large caliber bullet lodged in it.

* WoodyAllen used to carry a bullet in his breast pocket; someone once [[RussianReversal threw a Bible at him and the bullet saved his life]].

* Brilliantly spoofed by WoodyAllen in his monologue back in the days when he was a stand-up comic:

** Thoroughly disproved by ''MythBusters'' - at best, a bullet probably ricocheted & then got caught in the weave.

* ''Manga/SailorMoon'' is forced to stab a BrainwashedAndCrazy [[JamesBondage Mamoru]] in the chest, and she's so traumatized that she attempts suicide... except he lived because the sword was stopped by a pocket watch (a memento from [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan dead parents]]), and she did too because the crystalline MacGuffin decided to manifest itself on her chest.

See BulletproofVest for things that are ''supposed'' to stop bullets.[[note]]Some of which in real life, incidentally, are fitted with protective ceramic plates stowed ''in pockets''.[[/note]] Compare ConcealmentEqualsCover, where the hero is protected by something that isn't in their pocket. If bullets are stopped by an unwilling {{Mook}} or bystander, that's a BulletproofHumanShield. For other uses for books, see UsefulBook.

* In CharlesStross's ''Literature/HaltingState'', Jack is saved from a stab wound by the foldup keyboard in his jacket. It later turns out that his jacket is practically ''lined'' with computer stuff, though.

* ''OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' episode "Homesick" has Grandad explain the sentimental value of a lighter which belonged to his grandfather who fought in the Boer War. He tells of how the lighter was placed over the man's heart, which protected him from a bullet. Subverted shortly afterwards, when Grandad reveals that it actually caused the bullet to ricochet upward, blowing his grandad's head off.

* Subverted in ''KissKissBangBang''. Robert Downey Jr is shot by the bad guy and collapses; the love interest is afraid that he's been killed, but wait! He sits up, and pulls out from his pocket that trashy detective novel from earlier in the movie, with a bullet hole in it! But then she realises that, wait a minute -- the bullet hole goes right through. He's been shot in the chest and is in dire need of an ambulance.

* In the ''Manga/LupinIII'' movie ''Anime/LupinIIIIslandOfAssassins'', Zenigata is shot in the opening segment, and the bullet hits the badge in his pocket. While it keeps the shot from being ''instantly'' fatal, it still injures him severely.
** The movie '' Money Wars'' has a more plausible example, with a bullet bouncing off of Lupin's gun. Unfortunately, the animators depict the bullet (in a slow-motion flashback) bouncing off at an angle that would have buried it in Lupin's head...

* In the [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] story arc "Body Count" near the end Casey Jones gets shot near the heart Raphael thinks he's dead and carries his body around with him, it is later revealed that he is alive his lucky Wayne Gretsky autographed hockey puck had been strapped to his chest for such an emergency.

* Used intentionally in Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns: Batman is being shot at by a collection of mooks, only to have the bullets bounce of the bat-icon on his chest. His narration notes that this is in fact the reason he wears a bright yellow target on his chest - it keeps fire away from more vulnerable places like his head.

* A story along these lines is told near the end of ''{{Heist}}'' when veteran thief Bobby (Delroy Lindo) is sitting in a van with a sort-of partner, Jimmy (Sam Rockwell) before a heist.

* Spoofed in ''North'', where one character manages to convince another that he saved their life after accidently shooting them, merely by grabbing the nearest Bible, writing "To my friend" in it, shooting it, and then telling them at it must have softened the blow.

* In the ''Literature/BenSnow'' short story "The Trail of the Golden Cross", Ben is saved from being shot in the back when the bullet deflects off the titular cross, which he had concealed by hiding it in the small of his back under his shirt.

* Inverted in an episode of the original live-action ''TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' series. The bad guys are holding Clark, Lois, and Jimmy hostage, and their boss insists Clark is Superman. The boss shoots Clark, who in turn reacts with surprise, and Lois and Jimmy are both convinced. Clark, however, reaches into his jacket and feels around thoughtfully. After the situation is resolved Clark pulls out a conveniently dented silver dollar and claims that it stopped the bullet.

* The Beeb's ''YoungDracula'' has this happen when van Hellsing, by accident because he got frightened by a loud noise, shooting [[MrFanservice Vlad's dad]] in the chest with a ''crossbow bolt''. It was stopped by a small decanter of poisoned holy water which Hellsing tried to slip him earlier. ...Which had a bloodred liquid in it. Coincidental.

* Just like in the Hitchcock film, in the 2005 play ''The 39 Steps'', one of the characters survives getting shot when a prayer-book in his coat pocket stops the bullet.

* In [[VideoGame/RyuGaGotoku Yakuza 4]], in the finale, [[spoiler:the defeated Munakata, in an angry fit after understanding Date's newspaper will ruin him, picks up Arai's weapon from the ground and shoots Akiyama in the chest. Akiyama falls down with all the drama necessary to the scene, and after a few seconds, pats his chest pocket, finding the bullet completely lodged inside a stack of dozens of yen bills. Money saves lives indeed.]]

* There's a non-canonical ''{{Goblins}}' strip in which Dies-Horribly is saved from a stray arrow by a very thick book.

* Rudyard Kipling was sent a copy of his book ''Kim'', complete with bullethole stopping only at the last 20 pages, together with the Cross awarded the soldier who owned it. He later became said soldier's son's godfather.

* An impressive variation in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' where Demona shoots Elisa with a poisonous dart, then leaves with a challenge for Goliath to get the cure. Upon Demona's departure, Elisa opens her jacket to reveal that her police badge stopped the dart. Goliath still showed up for the challenge, because Elisa would have just been targeted again if he didn't. As it is, it probably took a while for Demona to realize she was still alive.