New York statute
N.Y. Penal Law § 270.20 — Unlawful wearing of body armor
Current through 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17)
Part of Article 270: Other Offenses Relating to Public Safety, New York Penal Law.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of N.Y. Penal Law § 270.20
Statutory text current through the 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17). This publication reproduces the text of the Consolidated Laws of New York as provided by the New York State Senate's Open Legislation service (Legislative Bill Drafting Commission statutory text); it is not the official statutes of the State of New York.
270.20 Unlawful wearing of body armor.
1. A person is guilty of the unlawful wearing of body armor when
acting either alone or with one or more other persons he commits any
violent felony offense defined in section 70.02 while possessing a
firearm, rifle or shotgun and in the course of and in furtherance of
such crime he or she wears body armor.
2. For the purposes of this section "body armor" means any product
that is a personal protective body covering intended to protect against
gunfire, regardless of whether such product is to be worn alone or is
sold as a complement to another product or garment.
The unlawful wearing of body armor is a class E felony.
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