Albany, New York – A New York lawmaker has authored a bill that would confiscate body armor from citizens and make it illegal to buy the protective gear in the state.
Currently, there is a ban on the use of bulletproof vests while carrying out a “violent felony offense.”
If passed, New York would become the first state to ban the purchase or possession of ballistic vests for citizens.
The bill from assembly member Jonathan G. Jacobson (D.) would outlaw the sale and possession of body armor in the state of New York. The bill would require residents who own a bulletproof vest to turn them over to police within 15 days of the bill becoming law.
The Washington Free Beacon reports that Second Amendment advocates are speaking out against the proposed law. The Firearms Policy Coalition created the website BodyArmorBan.com in order to mobilize against the proposal. The group said in a message on the site that Jacobson’s bill “deprives New Yorkers of their right to passive defense by instituting a confiscatory ban on body armor.”
The Firearms Policy Coalition noted the bill provides an exception for police officers and questioned why normal citizens should not be allowed the same protections.
“As is tradition, police are exempt from this new restraint on the right to keep and bear arms,” the group said on its website.
In the aftermath of the summer violence in the state and in particular New York City, Bulletproof vest sales have soared with one New York City vendor reporting that sales have increased 80% from 2019.
