Long time BC resident here, but this is the first time I&#x27;ve heard about this law. According to this [1] CBC article, the official rationale is:<p>&gt; The intent is to deny criminals a protection that might make them more likely to engage in violent behaviour, Heed said.<p>&gt; &quot;Police see it all too often. The gang member or organized criminal is out on our streets and in our neighbourhoods while hiding behind the added protection of bulletproof vests as innocent bystanders remain unprotected and vulnerable,&quot; Heed said.<p>&gt; &quot;By taking away criminals&#x27; sense of security, we decrease the potential for violence in public settings.&quot;<p>But that seems like a pretty weak rationale to me. Quoting from the article, &quot;gangsters who ignore gun laws weren&#x27;t likely to obey body armour laws&quot;.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cbc.ca&#x2F;news&#x2F;canada&#x2F;british-columbia&#x2F;body-armour-to-be-restricted-in-b-c-1.780821" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cbc.ca&#x2F;news&#x2F;canada&#x2F;british-columbia&#x2F;body-armour-t...</a>