*** UPDATE***

July 12th, 2022

New York has updated their definition of "body armor" makign it impossible to sell to civillians:

For the purposes of this section a "body armor" means any product that is a personal protective body covering intended to protect against gunfire, regardless of whether such product is to be worn alone or is sold as a complement to another product or garment. The unlawful wearing of body armor is a class E felony.

With the recent Buffalo shooting in New York, & the Uvalde shooting in Texas, the topic of gun control has risen in the media once again *eye roll and forehead slap*. The usual scapegoats have been called to account for the actions of the criminally insane: so called “high capacity” magazines, “assault” style rifles, “ghost” guns and even 9MM handguns that, according to Joe Biden, can supposedly blow the lungs out of a human body. With an election year in the balance, certain politicians are doing everything they can to score points with their constituents fearing the impending red wave. Similar to the lockdowns during the pandemic, it seems a large portion of citizens are willing to trade in their freedoms for a false sense of security. History has demonstrated time and time again what happens to a populace when citizens have no ability to protect themselves. However, we’re seeing a growing push to include body armor in the conversation of registration, or even outright bans.

Left leaning news outlets and trendy publications are weighing into the discussion of body armor bans with the same level of vigor (and lack of research or basic logic) as they have for dismantling the second amendment. Currently, a bill is being discussed in the state of New York, which would prohibit the purchase of body armor for civilians, require a license to purchase a semiautomatic rifle, make threatening mass harm a crime and strengthen the state’s “red flag laws”. The measures would also require new pistols to be equipped with microstamping technology, which uses lasers to imprint markings on a firearm to make it easier to trace guns to registered owners.

So why should you care about what happens in New York if you live in another state? Legislation such as this tends to get its training wheels in one state before it gradually spreads to other states. The bill to raise the age to buy assault rifles would bring New York in line with states like Illinois, Washington, Hawaii and Florida, which passed the law in response to the 2018 Parkland High School shooting. Gov. Kathy Hochul has agreed on this legislation with the state Senate Majority Leader and the Assembly Speaker, so it is expected to easily pass. However, this isn’t the only case where a ban such as this has been attempted. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, back in 2019, proposed a bill that would require the F.B.I to establish more restrictive standards on who can purchase body armor, & who could not. Then on Jan 6^th, 2021 bill A00352 was introduced to completely ban ownership of body armor, here’s the actual verbiage in the bill reasoning why citizens shouldn’t have the right to own body armor:

“Unless you are actively working in law enforcement, there is no legitimate reason to purchase or own a bullet-proof vest (known in New York State law as a body vest). Bullet-proof vests are necessary to protect those in law enforcement or those whose professions put them at risk of injury such as armored car drivers or security guards. Otherwise, bullet proof vests are used by those intending to protect themselves while committing crimes.”

Clearly the sponsors of such bills don’t spend much time walking their own crime infested streets. Note that bill A00352 would have required all owners of body armor to turn in their armor within 15 days of the bill passing, with no mention of financial compensation. The Buffalo shooter (name purposely excluded), who shot and killed 10 people, was wearing body armor during his crime. It is already a crime to wear body armor while committing a crime in most states, but then again murder is also a crime last I checked. In his manifesto, the Buffalo shooter also classified himself as a fascist and was seeking to bring about more gun control.  

While some gun and body armor legislation has failed in the past, there’s something different this time around and we need to be vocal with our legislators. Not too long ago, bump stocks were made the sacrificial lamb in a knee-jerk response to the Las Vegas shooting in 2017. Like a frog in boiling water, the temperature is gradually being turned up on rights to own tools of self-defense and protection. During the initial reporting of the Uvalde shooting in Texas, reports circulated of the shooter (name purposely excluded) wearing body armor when he killed 19 students, & 2 teachers. It’s also hard to reason that a “assault” weapon ban is the right solution when numerous law enforcement officers (wearing body armor and carrying AR15s) sat outside the school for over an hour without acting. The media seemed almost disappointed when it was revealed that this deranged murderer was not wearing body armor. This underscores the narrative that is being crafted to push for restrictions on all means of self-defense, including body armor.

These shootings are a serious problem, and we’re not even attempting to suggest that we have the answer to a growing mental health epidemic. Solving a cultural issue is not something we can do in a blog article. We make body armor designed to protect our customers from the actions of evil people. Knee-jerk legislation catering to feelings does nothing to solve the fact that evil people will always exist. Please help us and other members of the 2A community by standing up for your God given right to protect yourself and your family. Get involved by voting in elections both local and national. Join responsible gun owner organizations such as Gun Owners of America or Firearms Policy Coalition.

To learn about the existing body armor laws in your state, read our article “Body Armor Laws By State 2022 - Know Your Rights.”