Federal Judge Strikes Down New York Body Armor Ban

A federal judge in western New York ruled that the state’s restrictions on most civilians buying or selling body armor violate the Second Amendment, finding that body armor is protected as an “Arm” and that the law did not meet the Supreme Court’s historical-tradition test. The 2022 restrictions were enacted after the Buffalo Tops supermarket shooting, in which the attacker wore body armor, and generally limited access to people in designated professions. The court ordered the provisions blocked but gave the state 14 days to seek an appeal. New York officials and gun-violence prevention advocates criticized the ruling, arguing that civilian access to tactical armor raises public-safety concerns; Second Amendment advocates welcomed it as protecting people’s ability to defend themselves.ус