Body Armor Laws

This page is updated regularly however the information herein is not all-inclusive and should not be construed as legal advice. Please read and understand all of your local and federal laws before attempting to buy body armor.  We do not accept returns for body armor products. Refunds and cancellations will incur processing fees. Contact us prior to placing an order if you have questions.  

US FEDERAL LAWS:

USC Section 931 of title 18:  If you are 18 years old, a citizen of the United States, and have not been convicted of a felony involving a crime of violence, you are generally allowed to own and purchase body armor.  See state specific rules below.  

INTERNATIONAL & EXPORT LAWS:

All of our body armor is NIJ Certified Level 3+ and is regulated by the Office of Export Enforcement.  It is subject to Export Commodity Control Number 1A613 d.2 referenced in Part 774 of U.S. Commerce Control List.  This means that we are authorized to ship to many international locations or end users without special licensing under a List Based Exception of $1500 per order.  Countries we are currently not able to ship to without special licensing are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.  

All states listed  in this section follow the USC Section 931 of Title 18 above.  If you are 18 years old, have no felony convictions, you can buy armor online with and use it legally with no restriction.  

States with an asterisk (*) next to them do have "enhancer" laws that add additional charges or penalties for using body armor during the commission of a crime.  

States that have two asterisks (**) have enhancer laws as well as some additional specific rules which are listed in their applicable sections below.  

Connecticut is the only state that has strict laws about body armor sales, please see that state's specific section for more info: 

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona*

California

Colorado

Delaware*

Florida*

Georgia* 

Hawaii* 

Idaho*

Illinois*

Indiana*

Iowa

Kansas**

Kentucky

Louisiana*

Maine 

Maryland**

Massachusetts*

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire*

New Jersey*

New York**

North Carolina*

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma*

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina*

South Dakota

Tennessee*

Texas 

Utah

Vermont

Virginia* 

Washington

West Virginia*

Wisconsin*

Wyoming

Washington D.C.

Body armor purchases must be done face-to-face, we cannot ship to a Connecticut address unless you able to prove that you are one of the following prior to purchase:

- A sworn member or authorized official of the State Police, local police departments, Board of Parole or Pardons, and the Division of Criminal Justice;

- An authorized official of the Department of Administrative Services or local municipality who is purchasing body armor on the behalf of an agency mentioned above with a verifiable Purchase Order 

- An active armed forces or National Guard members

- An authorized official of the Judicial Branch who is purchasing body armor as or for an active probation officer. 

*Do NOT place an order with us until you have provided the information required and received a confirmation that its ok to enter your order.  Refunds and cancellations will incur fees. 

There is an additional law in Topeka City, Kansas making it illegal to wear body armor while participating in a parade, rally, protest, or demonstration. 

There is an additional law making it illegal to wear body armor on school campus or school property.

There is an additional law making it illegal for anyone ever convicted of drug trafficking or any type of violent crime, whether a felony or even lesser charge like a misdemeanor, to possess body armor unless they obtain a special permit. 

New York currently has enhancer laws for using armor during a crime.  Be advised that state bill A352 is currently under review to outlaw body armor all together, whether past or presently owned, for all citizens of the state.  Stay up to date with the status of that law prior to ordering.  As of January 1st, 2022 that law has not taken effect.  Also note that in its current written format the bill is extremely vague on the definition of body armor, and does not exclude training plates or weighted plates that just so happen to be strong enough to stop a bullet from being owned or purchased.  A product would effectively need to be specifically labeled and sold as "body armor" in order to violate the law.  In our opinion any product that isn't specifically labeled or sold as "body armor" would be difficult to prosecute under this law.