As crime takes hold of U.S. cities, Americans are taking drastic measures to protect themselves and their families by spending tens of thousands of dollars to bulletproof their cars.
Founder and CEO of Armormax Mark Burton explained how his clientele has evolved from the world's most wealthy to everyday Americans in recent years during "Fox & Friends.
"Ten years ago, it was the richest of the rich that were mainly concerned about their business," Burton told Todd Piro Monday, "Today, that's gone down the economic pyramid. You have doctors, you have lawyers, you have real estate agents, you have developers, you have the… average Joe, I can say, that are spending some money to protect themselves in their vehicles."
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On the high end, Americans are spending up to $85,000 to have their car completely bulletproofed.
The price tag, which Burton explained depends on the model of the vehicle, can also be tailored accordingly if a client wants just portions of the car bulletproofed to include certain windows and/or doors.
"They're looking for peace of mind," Burton said. "It's almost like an insurance policy. They hope they never have to use it. But… if those experiences occur, or those incidences occur, then they're safe."
Burton noted the evolving clientele has happened over the course of the last year and a half, noting surging violence in major cities as a driving force for the shift.
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"The change started occurring about 18 months ago," Burton said. "At the time we were doing about 85% of our business here in the United States for overseas customers, and now that has completely flipped. The uncertainty that exists in the United States today, and in particular in some of the larger cities, has increased that demand."
New Orleans closed out 2022 with a decades-high homicide record and unseated St. Louis as America’s "Murder Capital."
It recorded 52 homicides per 100,000 residents. St. Louis, which has long been ranked and considered one of the country’s most dangerous cities, had 45 homicides per 100,000 residents that same month.
Crime in New York City also made headlines in 2022, despite a decline in murders and shootings. As those violent crimes fell, robberies, burglaries, felony assault, grand larceny and other crimes continued in the city, spurring major crimes to increase by 22% compared to 2021.
Overall homicides in large U.S. cities were down about 5% in 2022 compared to 2021, when murders in large cities hit a 25-year high.
"We have the West Coast. We have Los Angeles area. We have New Orleans. We have Miami. You mentioned Chicago and New York… those are two of our biggest markets," Burton said. "We get calls, multiple calls, and we get multiple sales every week from those two principal areas. But it's the larger metropolis type of areas where the crime has increased tremendously."
"The uncertainty, being at the wrong place at the wrong time, has become a major concern," he continued.
Fox News' Emma Colton, Audrey Conklin and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
