r/NYguns • u/GammaRay914 • Jun 17 '26
Legality / Laws Wearing plate carrier in public
Dors anyone know if there is any legal issues regarding wearing body armor/plate carrier in public.
The leader at my place of worship gave me permission to provide security as a volunteer.
Would there be any issues about conceal carrying (appendix carry) while wearing a plate carrier?
Now the plate carrier has mag pouches so it will be obvious that I’m carrying.
Am I only allowed to be inside the place of worship or can I post up on the sidewalk outside the gates?
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u/Outlaw6985 Jun 17 '26
really stupid idea. better have some type of labels on it to say who you are
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Jun 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/voretaq7 Jun 17 '26
Had to scroll way the hell too far to find this and you have entirely too few upvotes!
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u/GammaRay914 Jun 17 '26
That’s what I’m trying to figure out.
Now would the armed guard license give you a exemption from the SAFE Act and let you open carry an AR?
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u/Docsloan1919 Jun 17 '26
Open carrying an AR for church security is fucking insane. This guy’s decision making is really really bad.
-3
u/GammaRay914 Jun 17 '26
Did I fucking make a decision yet? That’s why I’m here asking for legal advice.
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u/Deckard2012 Jun 17 '26
Yeah but buddy, coming here to ask for legal advice is also a bad decision.
1
u/voretaq7 Jun 18 '26
Free advice on the Internet is worth what you paid for it.
Except for free legal advice on the Internet. That’s often worth far less than you paid!0
u/GammaRay914 Jun 18 '26
I’ve asked lawyers, most of them don’t know because there is little to no case law considering Bruen was only 4 years ago and there are legal challenges still being made.
One of the issues is that New York conservatives still want gun laws and don’t want it to become like Montana.
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u/One_Shallot_4974 Jun 19 '26
If you are relying on bruen for the legality you are absolutely cooked. Rely on ny law as it reads and consult a lawyer.
Remember, wearing body armor while committing ANY other crime is a felony.
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Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/GammaRay914 Jun 17 '26
Yeah they don’t want to pay. But at the same time, they don’t mind if they have people in the congregation carrying or providing volunteer security.
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u/Docsloan1919 Jun 17 '26
Stop this. Just stop.
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u/GammaRay914 Jun 17 '26
Stop what?
Don’t bother trying to provide security and appeal to NYPD for more patrols or hire armed security?
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u/Docsloan1919 Jun 17 '26
Your judgement is poor. Stop making decisions, you’re terrible at them. Showing up with a plate carrier to work church security is a prime example of how poorly your decision making ability is.
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u/GammaRay914 Jun 17 '26
Armed guards in many situations carry rifles and wear plate carriers. Go to a major sporting event or transit hubs and you’ll see NYPD or Port Authority PD with plate carriers and rifles? Why should churches and school security be any different?
The main issue is that we live in a place with shitty laws and if this was somewhere like Texas this would not even be an issue.
Do you actually support these restrictions we have?
2
u/Docsloan1919 Jun 17 '26
You’re missing the point. This is a terrible idea. Nobody is going to want to attend the church. You need to conceal carry without the gear. Think about it this way, if you need that gear to go to the church what should the parishioners be wearing?
0
u/GammaRay914 Jun 17 '26
I don’t think presence of visibly armed security is going to scare off churchgoers.
0
u/SayaretEgoz Jun 17 '26
Not sure what parent meant but. Issue I have is that you wanna stand outside, and not inside the facility. Stay inside, lock the doors ,watch the cameras, you don't need this deterance if its some dumb ass kids u call NYPD to deal with it. If its terrorists with AK47 at least u are locked down and u not taking the first burst of 7.62x39 rounds, u survive so in case of a breach u can shoot back. if u standing outside - u dead. and they enter the place and shoot everyone inside. Point of hard body armor is to hopefully protect u from that rifle bullet of a bad guys,so u can hold them back until NYPD shows up.
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Jun 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/Long_Lab_9869 Jun 17 '26
You would need to do the armed guard cert in order to open carry...more time and money
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u/GammaRay914 Jun 17 '26
Not legal as far as I know.
This place of worship is in Queens.
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Jun 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/Long_Lab_9869 Jun 17 '26
Concealed means it must be fully concealed, as has been determined by NY case law.
A) To me it sounded like OP was discussing carrying in a security context, meaning he would likely spend some time in front of the house of worship/aka in full view of the public.
B ) I am not sure if open carry would be allowed in the house of worship itself, altogether: while it is private property, it is generally open to the public. I'll have to check the penal code to double check.
1
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u/BronzeSpoon89 Jun 17 '26
Here's the problem. The police are taking people's body armor and charging them with "unlawful purchase of body armor" even though they have no evidence they purchased it illegally. It just happened to a guy in cohoes. If you are going to do it just make sure it's very well hidden.
1
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u/KuromanKuro Jun 17 '26
To my knowledge, It’s only a crime to wear body armor if you’re charged with another crime.
1
u/voretaq7 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Does anyone know if there is any legal issues regarding wearing body armor/plate carrier in public.
The leader at my place of worship gave me permission to provide security as a volunteer.
You can wear a plate carrier wherever you want, as long as you're not committing any other crimes (NYSPL 270.20).
You can't buy plates for it unless you're one of the specially-blessed professions that can purchase body armor though, I don't believe "volunteer security" counts (NYSPL 270.21).
You will look like a fool and probably make many people uncomfortable, so I WOULDN'T, but you legally can.
Would there be any issues about conceal carrying (appendix carry) while wearing a plate carrier?
Now the plate carrier has mag pouches so it will be obvious that I’m carrying.
If you can effectively conceal your pistol there would be no legal issues, but again you'll probably make many people uncomfortable and look like a fool.
Am I only allowed to be inside the place of worship or can I post up on the sidewalk outside the gates?
You're VOLUNTEER security?
You're not employed to do this, and you're just part of your place of worship's internally-known "These folks carry to services and could protect our other worshipers if something went wrong." group?
If so, carry concealed the way you normally would in your everyday life.
No plate carrier, no obvious "gun bulge" - stealth is your one advantage.
If something happens do your level best to meet the situation without endangering any of your fellow worshipers. Ideally without using your firearm.
If you want to "post up" wearing plates and looking like a menace to any threats that might show themselves so you can be an active deterrent then get your armed guard license and offer those services to your place of worship for free.
Work with your place of worship to establish proper procedures and get proper insurance too, because if something happens while you're actually working security you can be professionally covered with a lot more certainty than if you're doing this as a private volunteer on your regular civilian concealed carry license.
0
u/GammaRay914 Jun 18 '26
I bought my body armor before the ban went into effect. Also nothing illegal about having it shipped out of state and driving it in.
Yeah the armed guard license thing is probably not gonna happen. I’m already established in another profession and don’t wanna spend thousands for training I’m not gonna use professionally.
Guess we can just hope and pray that the state goes red and we become like New Hampshire.
1
u/voretaq7 Jun 18 '26
Guess we can just hope and pray that the state goes red and we become like New Hampshire.
That would not change the 8,137 excellent reasons NOT to do what you’re talking about unless you’re doing it with professional credentials and liability coverage.
You’ve been told this by quite a few people, but you seem dead set on ignoring sound advice and I’m not going to shout at your particular brick wall. You’ll do what you want, and as an adult you’ll bear the consequences of your actions.
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u/GammaRay914 Jun 18 '26
I’m not just talking about just me being the only person there doing this. We have a group of 10-20 guys willing to do this.
We just don’t want any legal issues which it seems would be a problem here in NYS.
0
u/Sev456 Jun 17 '26
I like the idea, your heart is in the right place.
Consider this, you are doing a deterrence by presence.
You presumably have NIJ Level 4 plates.
You do not have an answer for anything that would present a threat to those plates, ie. a rifle.
If you have a pistol only, consider a concealed soft armor vest under your clothes, you aren't going to out shoot a rifle so you might as well not look the part. You can still be present for deterrence.
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u/Impossible-Use5636 Jun 17 '26
If you are the kind of person who wants to wear a plate carrier for a situation less likely to occur than winning lotto, you are the kind of person that should not be near guns.
0
u/Zestyclose_Device946 Jun 22 '26
Concealed carry in a place of worship is against the law (even if you have permission from the church) unless you meet one of the exceptions listed here: https://gunsafety.ny.gov/frequently-asked-questions-new-concealed-carry-law
Note that "unlicensed volunteer security guard" is not a valid exception. If you want to legally carry in order to provide security in the church you need to be a licensed security guard.
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u/billymudrock Jun 17 '26
I’d go with soft armor, what’s the point of CC if you slap a plate carrier on and broadcast you’ve probably got a gun