All soft body armor sold by Leatherback Gear is manufactured in the U.S.A.
Body armor is legal in all 50 states for law-abiding citizens.
As a US citizen or resident of the US you have the right to protect yourself. You have the right to own a bulletproof vest. However, that right to own a bulletproof vest is automatically taken away if you commit a violent crime. The James Guelff and Chris McCurley Body Armor Act of 2002 stipulate that no person previously convicted of a violent crime may purchase, own or possess body armor. If you have been convicted of a violent felony, you cannot own a bulletproof vest of any kind.
There is no background check, waiting period, or federal registration required to buy body armor. No permits or paperwork required to legally purchase it and/or own as a civilian. You can order a bulletproof backpack-to-vest on LeatherbackGear.com, and have it delivered to your home or office without asking permission or reporting to anyone. You do not need to register it with authorities.
Possession of body armor is legal in all 50 states with ONLY the following restrictions:
Yes! Body armor is legal in all 50 states and can be transported and/or worn over state lines. As a law-abiding citizen, you cannot be arrested for wearing or transporting of body armor and your armor cannot be confiscated.
Body armor is approved by TSA for both carry-on bags or checked bags (https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/body-armor). Our customers have traveled with our backpack with soft body armor through various major domestic and international airport TSA security screening stations without incidence.
The soft body armor panels in your Leatherback Gear™ bulletproof backpack are made of Polyethylene and are NIJ (National Institute of Justice) rated for a Level IIIA threat. This Level IIIA rating is the ballistic standard of resistance used in the United States and most of the world. Body armor becomes NIJ rated when it passes a strict set of guidelines at an NIJ certified 3rd party ballistic laboratory. To be rated level IIIA, armor must protect the wearer from handgun rounds up to a .44 magnum (bullet with a mass of 240 grains and a velocity of 1340 ft./s), including 9mm submachine gun rounds, and even 12 gauge shotgun slugs. Please note that we private label our armor panels so our name “Leatherback Gear” is not listed through NIJ website as the certificates belong to our manufacturer.
All body armor sold by Leatherback Gear has a limited lifespan due to the natural degradation of ballistic materials over time. Leatherback Gear™ body armor panels have a 5-year lifespan with a full manufacturer warranty, guaranteeing the body armor panels from a defect during the entire lifespan of every vest produced. It is advisable to replace your soft body armor panel within the 5-year period from the date of manufacture that can be found on the label of every soft body armor panel. Soft body armor panels should always be replaced in the event that the soft armor panel has been compromised in any way including having been subject to and having stopped any caliber of bullet that may have been fired at the soft body armor panel.