Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Last week, a federal judge in the Western District of New York struck down New York State ban on law-abiding residents from being able to buy body armor, saying bulletproof vests and other protective gear is protected under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
One local lawmaker in Washington, D.C. feels it was a terrible decision made by Judge John Sinatra in Buffalo.
"There is no reason and no need for any civilian to have access to military-grade body armor, like we saw here in the Tops massacre, where Lt. Aaron Salter Jr. - a 30-year Buffalo Police Lieutenant - shot back at the White supremacist terrorist on May 14, '22. But the bullets bounced off his military-grade body armor, and [the gunman] shot and killed this law enforcement hero in our community," said Congressman Tim Kennedy (D, NY-26) in an interview with WBEN.
Along with New York State taking action against military-grade body armor in the weeks following the Tops mass shooting that killed 10 Black community members in a racially motivated mass shooting on Jefferson Avenue, Congressman Brian Higgins (D), Congressman Chris Jacobs (R) and Congresswoman Grace Meng (D) co-sponsored a bill in Washington, D.C. to ban military-grade body armor from being purchased by the general public. In the years since, Congressman Kennedy has continued those efforts on Capitol Hill at the federal level.
While speaking with WBEN last week, Jacobs strongly feels the state needs to appeal the ruling handed down from Judge Sinatra, and Kennedy is in full agreement that this ruling should be appealed and overruled.
"No one should have access to military-grade body armor except for law enforcement and our military, who are protecting us and fighting for our democracy. Other than that, it's been used in these mass shootings across our country, time-after-time-after-time. Including right here in the heart of the City of Buffalo on Jefferson Avenue," Kennedy reiterated. "And but for that military-grade body armor, a great hero in our community who gave his life defending our community, Lt. Aaron Salter, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, he'd be alive today."
Kennedy appreciates the continued support for the bill from Jacobs, and feels this piece of legislation should be getting bipartisan support in Washington, D.C.
"Former Congressman Jacobs, along with Congresswoman Grace Meng and my predecessor, Congressman Brian Higgins - who all introduced the bill back in 2022 following this atrocity in our community - deserve credit, and we are picking the ball up and running with it," Kennedy said. "The Lt. Aaron Salter Jr. Responsible Body Armor bill will ensure that no civilian who wishes to do others harm will get their hands on military-grade body armor, and hopefully it'll save lives in the future."
So where do things stand with the current status of the bill in Washington?
"We're building support for the bill, a tremendous amount of support from my colleagues in the Democratic Caucus. And we're hopeful that when we win the majority on Nov. 3 and we have the gavels in our hand in January, we can fast track this very important bill that will save lives across this country," Kennedy said. "I believe very strongly that no civilian should have access to military-grade body armor, especially when we've seen time-and-time again that this military-grade body armor is used in mass shootings across the country."
