Congress·In Committee·S. 4553

Aaron Salter, Jr., Responsible Body Armor Possession Act

Body Armor: Ban on High-Grade Protection for Civilians

May 18·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A senate committee

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for review. It is considered active, but no future hearings or votes have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill currently linked to this legislation.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While the bill has a clear public safety goal, restrictions on protective gear face strong opposition from lawmakers who view them as an infringement on self-defense rights.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 8388 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 8388 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill would make it illegal for most regular people to buy, own, or have high-grade body armor, including certain helmets and shields. It specifically targets enhanced armor designed to stop high-powered rifle rounds.
The ban would not apply to federal, state, or local government agencies, or to active and retired police and corrections officers. People who already own this type of armor before the law passes would be allowed to keep what they have.
The goal is to prevent criminals from using military-grade protection during attacks, which can make it harder for police or security to stop them. It is named after a security guard killed in a 2022 mass shooting where the attacker wore heavy armor.
Anyone caught knowingly breaking this law could face up to five years in prison and expensive fines.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

May 18, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

May 18, 2026

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Aaron Salter, Jr., Responsible Body Armor Possession Act

Bill NumberS 4553

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.