PLEA Act

The Protect Law Enforcement Armor (PLEA) Act proposes to expand the federal definition of "armor-piercing ammunition" to include any handgun projectile that the Attorney General determines is capable of penetrating standard law enforcement body armor. To implement this, the bill directs the Department of Justice to establish uniform testing standards to measure how different bullet designs and handgun types perform against protective vests.

For the general public, the most direct impact of this legislation would be a federal ban on the manufacture, sale, possession, or transfer of certain firearms and ammunition, specifically naming the Fabrique Nationale (FN) Five-SeveN pistol and its 5.7 x 28mm cartridges. While the bill includes exceptions for the military, law enforcement, and authorized testing, it would prohibit ordinary citizens from legally acquiring or owning these specific models and any other handguns later determined to use armor-piercing ammunition under the new standards.