The work aims to investigate the elastic resistance of silicon nitride ceramic plates covered with a Kevlar fiber crack arresting layer to shrapnel impact and its damage mechanism. Impact experiments were carried out on ceramic plates covered with a crack arresting layer by metal flying shrapnel to determine the residual velocity of the shrapnel at different impact velocities. A finite element calculation model of impact damage was established to analyze the influence of the existence and thickness of the crack arresting layer as well as its interfacial strength with the ceramic plate on the elastic resistance. After the surface of the ceramic plate was covered with the crack arresting layer, the radial and circumferential cracks in the impact center region were more intensive, which made the ceramic plate break up more fully in the local region, thus absorbing more impact energy and reducing the residual velocity of the shrapnel. The residual velocity of the shrapnel reached the highest when the interfacial strength between the crack arresting layer and the ceramic plate was 0 MPa, while the residual velocity of the shrapnel tended to stabilize when the interfacial strength was greater than 0 MPa, indicating that the influence of the interfacial strength on the residual velocity gradually decreased. The crack arresting layer with a certain interfacial strength significantly reduces the residual velocity of the shrapnel after impact, limits the crack expansion of the ceramic plate after damage, and at the same time promotes the interaction between the local bullet targets, increases the ceramic damage on the impact trajectory, and thus improves its anti-elasticity performance. This study provides an important theoretical basis and reference for the structural design of ceramic protective armor, which has practical application value.