A federal judge in western New York has thrown out the state's 2022 crime of buying or selling protective body armor for most civilians, holding that the gear is an arm shielded by the Second Amendment. Firearms Policy Coalition plus two members blocked from obtaining it for lawful self-defense received summary judgment and a permanent halt to those purchase and sale rules.

The opinion said New York showed no founding-era or later American custom of stopping people without a government-approved job from acquiring it, treated the ban as an unsupported novelty, and noted civilian ownership plus similar freedom in 49 states. Enforcement is paused 14 days for appeal; separate bans on wearing armor while committing violent crimes remain.