As long as they dont hit in the same spot more than once they can take numerous hits without penetrating. I would not want to be wearing one and get hit with one let alone more than one. The wearer still sustains the shot of the force of the bullet even though the vest absorbs some of the impact and stops the bullet. Some handgun bullets pack 800 ft lbs of energy at impact. The vest will stop it from killing you but the vest and your body still must absorb all that energy. A lot of uniformed people dont realize that a bullet proof vest will only stop some calibers of bullets, mostly handgun and small caliber rifle bullets. Larger rounds that most high power rifles fire will penetrate a bullet proof vest with one (1) round.