PLEA Act

The Protect Law Enforcement Armor (PLEA) Act, introduced as H.R. 1136, aims to increase protections for police officers by restricting public access to certain high-powered firearms and ammunition. The bill would expand the legal definition of "armor-piercing ammunition" to include any projectile that the Attorney General determines is capable of penetrating standard law enforcement body armor when fired from a handgun.

For the general public, this legislation would effectively ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of specific firearms and cartridges, such as the Five-SeveN pistol and its associated 5.7 x 28mm ammunition. While these items would remain available for use by the military and law enforcement agencies, private citizens would be prohibited from acquiring them. Additionally, the bill would establish uniform federal testing standards to identify and potentially restrict other handguns and ammunition found to pose a similar threat to protective vests.