Assembly Bill A352 was introduced and cosponsored by David McDonough, Richard Gottfried, and Michael Montesano. It reads as follows (emphasis added.)
§ 270.21 Unlawful purchase or possession of a body vest. A person is guilty of the unlawful purchase or possession of a body vest when he or she knowingly and unlawfully purchases or possesses a body vest, as such term is defined in subdivision two of section 270.20 of this article. This section shall not apply to active law enforcement officers or those whose occupations require the use of body vests as determined by the department of state.
Unlawful purchase or possession of a body vest is a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a class E felony for any subsequent offense.
§ 2. Any person currently in possession of a body vest, as such term is defined in subdivision two of section 270.20 of the penal law, shall have 15 days from the effective date of this act to dispose of such body vest at any local or state law enforcement agency.
With bullets flying over Broadway, New Yorkers are buying up bulletproof vests.
Midtown dealer Brad Pedell — who runs 221B Tactical — claims sales of body armor are up 80 percent this year compared with 2019 due to the “unrest” in the city and nationwide.
“You wouldn’t believe the people who call up and say, ‘I’m scared,’” Pedell told The Post. He said most buyers are from the Bronx and Brooklyn, where shootings have skyrocketed.
Pedell’s customers tend to keep their purchases — and motivations for buying — to themselves.
A Manhattan woman who bought a vest declined to discuss her decision, texting, “I am a private citizen and I keep a low profile.”
nypost.com/2020/08/15/bulletproof-vest-sales-soar-amid-surge-in-nyc-shootings/