A California congressman wants to ban everyday Americans from owning high-performance body armor.

Rep. Mike Honda, a Democrat, tells U.S. News law enforcement officers need an edge over criminals and rampaging madmen, whom he says can “wreck havoc with impunity” wearing the gear.

Honda’s “Responsible Body Armor Possession Act,” introduced July 31, would prohibit civilians from buying or owning armor – including vests, shields, helmets and other items – rated Type III or higher on the National Institute of Justice’s penetration resistance scale.

“We don't need to have individuals owning these things and going around with a higher degree of protection against law enforcement,” he says. “I’ve seen a trend that there’s more and more body armor being used, and they’re usually used by folks who want to do harm.”

Violators of the proposed restriction would face a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

“This is not a Second Amendment issue,” Honda says. “It’s about body armor and other accessories that would make a person less vulnerable to ammunition or bullets.”



The Silicon Valley congressman ramped up his advocacy for the proposed ban this week, touting endorsements from local prosecutors and sheriffs.

Weaker armor rated Type I or Type II would remain available to the public if the legislation becomes law. However, many bullet-resistant items on the market now, such as bulletproof backpacks for school children, are rated Type III and would therefore be banned.

The ban would not apply to body armor already in private hands, but Honda says law enforcement might want to encourage people to turn in the items anyhow. “If there are records of sales [law enforcement] could track those down,” he says.

Honda says civilians don’t need the items for protection. If a neighborhood is frequented by trigger-happy criminals, he says, “we should have more cops on the street.”



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“Over the years we see more and more people utilizing this body armor, in fact those who are involved with selling firearms are showing models of people carrying weapons dressed in body armor, which creates an image that this is something you need to have,” he says.

The Republican-led House of Representatives is generally not inclined to pass restrictions on civilian arms possession. Honda says he's not sure if his bill will win approval.