ATTENTION NEW YORKERS: The NY Assembly is attempting to ban the possession of body armor. This bill will restrict peoples' ability to passively protect themselves in the face of death threats or fascist violence. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/a8538

WHAT BODY ARMOR DOES: Reduce the lethality of a gunshot. Flexible kevlar armor rated for pistol rounds, or steel or ceramic hard armor, will prevent a bullet from penetrating the body. However, the wearer will still usually be injured and knocked down.

WHAT BODY ARMOR DOES NOT DO: Turn the wearer into Iron Man. Body armor does not make someone an unstoppable juggernaut. Body armor is rarely used in violent crime. Most robbers and mass shooters do not wear armor, and when armor is worn it is rarely a factor in the outcome.

This is especially true in mass shootings, where white mass shooters are seldom even shot at by the police. Murderers don't need body armor when white supremacy protects them enough already.

WHO WEARS BODY ARMOR? Your favorite investigative journalists infiltrating and documenting the far right. People who have been targeted with death threats by the far right, or by domestic abusers. Volunteer security for synagogues, mosques, and other community spaces.

We encourage you to call your state legislators and urge them to oppose Assembly Bill A8538.