"As ridiculous as banning seatbelts"
In an absolutely ludicrous move by a state assembly that has clearly proven itself as a stalwart anti-Constitutional institution, New York State Senators David McDonough, Richard Gottfried, and Michael Montesano have co-sponsored a bill that would ban the sale of any type of "body vest" and criminalize its possession. This would not only turn law-abiding New Yorkers that likely number in the tens of thousands into criminals overnight, but is completely ridiculous on its face.
While 2A civil rights advocates are accustomed to attacks on effective defensive tools with offensive capabilities, namely anything semiautomatic or magazine-fed, this is a completely asinine shift in tact toward supportive equipment whose use is strictly defensive. Unlike any other piece of gear, body armor serves only to protect its wearer; a role that is vital in a state with the most unconstitutional restrictions on the people's right to keep an bear arms. At the very least, responsible citizens had a measure on which they could rely to protect themselves from criminals that could care less about CCW permits or magazine restrictions. Should this proposal make its way into law, it would set a disturbing legislative precedent that would be as ridiculous as banning seatbelts in cars because they might protect a driver in a collision that is their fault. Just as with any proposed confiscation, it still stands that the government cannot "buy back" or demand redemption of private property that it never owned.
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