# 119-hr-3398: Aaron Salter, Jr., Responsible Body Armor Possession Act

119-hr-3398, Aaron Salter, Jr., Responsible Body Armor Possession Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26] (D-NY); status introduced (as of 2026-10-03).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3398
- As of: 2026-10-03
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3398
- Congress: 119
- Title: Aaron Salter, Jr., Responsible Body Armor Possession Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-05-14
- Sponsor: Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 28
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-03

## Summary

**Creates a nationwide ban on civilian possession of enhanced body armor.** The bill would define “enhanced body armor” by National Institute of Justice standards using the RF1 ballistic threshold and set narrow exemptions for federal, state, and tribal governments and covered law enforcement officers. - Private individuals who knowingly violate the ban would face criminal penalties of up to 5 years in prison, a fine, or both. - Federal, state, and tribal entities and covered law enforcement officers, including corrections officers, would remain allowed to purchase and possess enhanced body armor. - People who lawfully possessed enhanced body armor before the law takes effect would be allowed to keep it. - Selling or transferring enhanced body armor to civilians would be prohibited, limiting commercial and private sales of RF1-level armor.

## Cosponsors (28)

- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (D-MS), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] (D-GA), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30] (D-CA), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Olszewski, Johnny [D-MD-2] (D-MD), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13] (D-IL), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4] (D-CA), 2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Amo, Gabe [D-RI-1] (D-RI), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23] (D-FL), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fletcher, Lizzie [D-TX-7] (D-TX), 2025-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL), 2025-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pou, Nellie [D-NJ-9] (D-NJ), 2025-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA), 2025-10-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2026-05-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ban on high-performance body armor: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would make it illegal for most civilians to buy, own, or possess high-performance body armor. High-performance body armor means armor (including helmets and shields) that meets or exceeds the RF1 ballistic level under the National Institute of Justice test in effect when you bu…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-3398 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3398)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3398 (as of 2026-10-03).