{"data":{"id":"us-tn/tenn.-code-ann.-39-17-1323","jurisdiction":"us-tn","citation":"Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-1323","heading":"Commission of certain offenses while wearing a body vest","body":"(a) A person commits an offense who knowingly wears a body vest, when acting either alone or with one (1) or more other persons, while committing: (1) Any felony whose statutory elements involve the use or threat of violence to a human being; (2) Any burglary, car-jacking, theft of a motor vehicle, or arson; or (3) Any felony offense involving a controlled substance or controlled substance analogue. (b) For purposes of this section, a \"body vest\" means a bullet-resistant soft armor providing, as a minimum standard, the level of protection known as threat level I which shall mean at least seven (7) layers of bullet-resistant material providing protection from three (3) shots of one hundred fifty-eight-grain lead ammunition fired from a .38 caliber handgun at a velocity of eight hundred fifty feet (850') per second. (c) The unlawful wearing of a body vest is a Class E felony. (d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the possession of a body vest for lawful purposes. (e) Any sentence imposed under this section shall run consecutively to any other sentence imposed for the conviction of the underlying offense. Acts 1997, ch. 321, § 1; 2012, ch. 848, § 23.\n(a) A person commits an offense who knowingly wears a body vest, when acting either alone or with one (1) or more other persons, while committing: (1) Any felony whose statutory elements involve the use or threat of violence to a human being; (2) Any burglary, car-jacking, theft of a motor vehicle, or arson; or (3) Any felony offense involving a controlled substance or controlled substance analogue.\n(1) Any felony whose statutory elements involve the use or threat of violence to a human being;\n(2) Any burglary, car-jacking, theft of a motor vehicle, or arson; or\n(3) Any felony offense involving a controlled substance or controlled substance analogue.\n(b) For purposes of this section, a \"body vest\" means a bullet-resistant soft armor providing, as a minimum standard, the level of protection known as threat level I which shall mean at least seven (7) layers of bullet-resistant material providing protection from three (3) shots of one hundred fifty-eight-grain lead ammunition fired from a .38 caliber handgun at a velocity of eight hundred fifty feet (850') per second.\n(c) The unlawful wearing of a body vest is a Class E felony.\n(d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the possession of a body vest for lawful purposes.\n(e) Any sentence imposed under this section shall run consecutively to any other sentence imposed for the conviction of the underlying offense.","path":["TN Code","Title 39","Chapter 17"],"source_url":"https://oss-data-us.vaquill.ai/v2026.08/us_tn_statutes.parquet","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:26Z","sha256":"5f2c840588a7e340711aacfc3a9430da55ef7f75cf3405c5a230f1d82a162f68","source_id":"us-tn","stale":false,"prev":"us-tn/tenn.-code-ann.-39-17-1322","next":"us-tn/tenn.-code-ann.-39-17-1324"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}