A ballistic shield apparatus for a weapon includes: a flexible ballistic shield made of penetration-resistant material, the ballistic shield having opposed front and rear faces, spaced-apart side edges connecting spaced-apart top and bottom edges, and a central area bounded by the side edges; one or more flexible securing members extending laterally outward from each of the side edges, each of the one or more flexible securing members including a releasable connector disposed on a distal portion thereof; and at least one releasable connector disposed on the ballistic shield, the releasable connectors collectively configured such that the distal portion of each of the one or more flexible securing members can be releasably secured to the central area of the ballistic shield, or to a distal portion of one of the one or more flexible securing members.