Federal Judge Strikes Down New York’s Ban on Civilian Body Armor
Judge John Sinatra of the Western District of New York held that New York’s prohibition on law-abiding residents purchasing body armor violates the Second Amendment.
A federal court in the Western District of New York invalidated New York’s law that barred ordinary citizens from buying body armor for self-defense. Judge John Sinatra based his ruling on the Second Amendment interpretation from District of Columbia v. Heller, which defines “arms” to encompass defensive armor. He rejected the State’s argument that armor was obsolete at the founding and that English medieval statutes support modern regulation.
The court emphasized that the Constitution protects all bearable arms, even those not existing in 1791, and that New York offered no historical analogue of regulation after the Constitution’s adoption. Consequently, the State could not meet the required historical-tradition test, and the ban was struck down. Plaintiffs were represented by Nicolas J. Rotsko.
Why it matters
The ruling expands civilian rights to purchase protective gear and sets a precedent for interpreting the Second Amendment.
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