Unlawful purchase of body armor · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 270.21 Unlawful purchase of body armor.
A person is guilty of the unlawful purchase of body armor when, not being engaged or employed in an eligible profession, they knowingly purchase or take possession of body armor, as such term is defined in subdivision two of section 270.20 of this article. This section shall not apply to individuals or entities engaged or employed in eligible professions, which shall include police officers as defined in section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law, peace officers as defined in section 2.10 of the criminal procedure law, persons in military service in the state of New York or military or other service for the United States, and such other professions designated by the department of state in accordance with section one hundred forty-four-a of the executive law.
Unlawful purchase of body armor is a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a class E felony for any subsequent offense.
A person not working in an eligible profession commits this offense by knowingly buying or taking possession of body armor. Eligible professions include the named police officers, peace officers, New York or U.S. military service members, and other professions designated by the Department of State; the offense is a class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a class E felony for any later offense. ★
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.