Invictus Templar does not ship body armor to New York or Connecticut. Not to civilians. Not to law enforcement. Not to anyone holding a carve-out, a credential, or a government purchase order. New York restricts body armor ownership to a list of state-approved professions. Connecticut demands a firearms credential and an in-person sale for a product that is not a firearm. We will not help administer either scheme. Here is what those laws actually say, why we refuse the exemptions entirely, and what free men and women in those states can do about it.
In this article
- What are the body armor laws in New York?
- What are the body armor laws in Connecticut?
- How do NY and CT compare to the rest of America?
- Is body armor a firearm?
- Why won't we ship to police in NY or CT?
- What would the Founders say?
- What can you do?
- FAQ
What are the body armor laws in New York?
In 2022, New York made it a crime for ordinary citizens to buy body armor. Under Penal Law 270.21, purchasing or taking possession of body armor is restricted to a list of "eligible professions" maintained by the Department of State. As of 2026 that registry runs to roughly 30 approved categories: police officers, peace officers, military personnel, firefighters, EMTs, ER nurses, firearms dealers, private investigators, process servers, building inspectors, and so on.
If your job is not on the list, a first purchase is a Class A misdemeanor. Do it again and it is a Class E felony. Even approved buyers cannot order online; the law requires an in-person transfer from a registered seller.
Read that list again. In New York, a process server can legally buy a bulletproof vest. A single mother in Buffalo cannot. The law is currently being challenged in federal court (Heeter v. James), and we pray it falls. Until it does, New York treats the most purely defensive product ever made as contraband for the very people it was made to protect.
What are the body armor laws in Connecticut?
Connecticut takes a different road to the same place. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. 53-341b, body armor may only be sold face-to-face. Mail order and online sales to Connecticut residents are banned outright. And since October 2023, the buyer must present a Connecticut firearms credential at the point of sale: a pistol permit, an eligibility certificate, an ammunition certificate, or a long-gun eligibility certificate.
Sit with that for a moment. Connecticut requires a gun license to buy a product that cannot fire, cut, strike, or harm anyone. The state has formally classified "not getting shot" as a privilege that must be permitted, credentialed, and conducted under supervision.
Sworn police, corrections officers, and the military are exempt, of course. The carve-outs always arrive for the government first.
How do NY and CT compare to the rest of America?
Is body armor a firearm?
No. And this is the heart of the matter.
Body armor is inert. It launches nothing, cuts nothing, threatens no one. It has exactly one function: to stop bullets from killing the person wearing it. It is the only product in the "arms debate" that is incapable of harming another human being. Federal law recognizes this, restricting possession only for convicted violent felons.
A rifle can at least be argued about. A ceramic plate cannot. When a state restricts armor, it is not restricting anyone's capacity for violence. It is restricting the citizen's capacity to survive violence. There is no public safety theory behind that. There is only the belief that protection is a government privilege to be rationed downward.
The most advanced protection we make. RF2-rated, multi-hit tested, 3.1 lbs, made in the USA.
Why won't we ship to police or "authorized" buyers in NY or CT?
Seven weeks ago we posted our policy publicly, and it traveled farther than anything we have ever written:
It is our policy to NOT ship body armor to Law Enforcement or other "authorized" personnel in NY or CT. Regardless of legal carve outs or eligibility, we do not ship to NY or CT because if civilians cannot own body armor, we do not believe that state and local government entities should be entitled to special exemptions to own body armor.
The Militia is the whole of the people. If "the people" cannot own body armor, we do not believe the government or its agencies should either.
Additionally, we do not entertain exemptions because we are not interested in litigating legal or regulatory issues shipping to NY or CT.
We strongly advise people to advocate and vote to reclaim their fundamental right to self preservation in those states.
God Bless.
That is the whole policy, and it stands. Two-tier ownership is the disease, not a workaround. Every exemption we honor tells Albany and Hartford that the system works, that the right people are getting protected, and that the citizens outside the carve-outs simply need to wait their turn. We decline to send that message, and we decline to spend our days adjudicating which badge numbers qualify.
What would the Founders say?
They already said it. George Mason, at the Virginia Ratifying Convention in 1788: "Who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers." Samuel Adams, in 1772, listed the natural rights of the colonists in order: "First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property."
The right to life comes first, and a right to life that excludes the means of preserving it is a word game, not a right. The Founders did not believe self-preservation was issued by the state to approved professions. They believed it preceded the state, and that the militia, the armed and equipped body of the people, was the whole of the people.
Free men are either free, or they are not free. There is no version of liberty in which the right to not be shot is distributed by occupational license. A state that trusts a building inspector with a plate carrier but jails a shopkeeper for the same purchase has not made a safety policy. It has made a caste system.
Rifle-rated protection priced for every free man. Laser-cut AR600 steel, made in the USA.
What can you do if you live in New York or Connecticut?
We will not advise anyone to break the law, and neither should you. We advise you to change it.
- Know the law precisely. Read the statutes linked above. Laws change; verify what is current before acting on anything, including this article. This is commentary, not legal advice.
- Watch Heeter v. James. The federal challenge to New York's ban is alive. Court losses are how these laws die.
- Make it a voting issue. Call your assembly member, your state senator, your representative. Tell them a defensive garment is not a weapon and you expect it treated accordingly.
- Support the organizations litigating. State-level Second Amendment groups carry these cases. Fund them.
- If you leave, say why. States notice when taxpayers cite specific laws on the way out.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to own body armor in New York?
Since 2022, purchasing or taking possession of body armor in New York is illegal unless you work in one of roughly 30 state-approved professions. A first offense is a Class A misdemeanor and a repeat offense is a Class E felony. The law is under federal court challenge.
Can I buy body armor in Connecticut with a pistol permit?
Yes. Connecticut allows body armor purchases in face-to-face sales to buyers who present a state firearms credential, including a pistol permit. Online and mail-order sales to Connecticut are banned, which is why no order placed with us can ship there.
Is body armor legal in the rest of the United States?
Yes. In the other 48 states, any adult can buy and own body armor, and it ships directly to your door. The only federal restriction, 18 U.S.C. 931, bars possession by convicted violent felons. Some states add penalties for wearing armor during the commission of a crime, which we fully support.
Do you ship body armor to law enforcement in New York or Connecticut?
No. We do not ship to any buyer in either state, including police departments and other exempt government purchasers. If the people of a state cannot own armor, we will not equip the government of that state with it.
Will you ship to New York or Connecticut if the laws change?
The day every law-abiding citizen of New York or Connecticut can legally order body armor, we will ship there gladly, and the first orders will go out with our thanks to everyone who fought for it.
Related reading: The Rise of Special Rifle Threat (SRT) Armor and Understanding the NIJ Body Armor Rating System.
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