FLAK Jackets

[Precision40]

I bought what appears to be a brand-new, desert tan FLAK jacket at a yard sale. The guy says he bought it at a pawn shop about 6-7 years ago and it sat in his garage the entire time.

Heres the kicker. It "appears" to be military issue and I say that because on the back of the inside panel the identification tag which is about 4"x8" and has been removed. It has the new style ceramic panels and is heavy as shnit.

In my losing attempt to get rid of more crap than I take in I need to get rid of this jacket, but am not going to give it away. With Ebay pretty much banning the sale of new-style FLAK jackets, what do I do with this thing?

Anybody have any ideas of the legality of selling this thing? It might be perfectly legal to sell them, I don't know because I can't prove it's military or commercial. I have my ideas but.......

Edited January 30, 2009 by Precision40

[SA Friday]

What you have is a 1st Gen Interceptor vest, military issue. If bought in Altus, more than likely a C-130 crew members issued vest, but could have been a SFS vest or Army issued vest too. The plates are good, don't know about the soft body armor in it though. It has a shelf life and the label's s/n and made date determine if still servicable.

Can you legally sell it? probably to a non-felon like a handgun, but am not 100% certain because some states have their own laws about body armor. They passed a fed law a couple of years ago blocking the sale of body armor to felons, parolees, etc.

Is it stolen govt property? Probably (sorry, I'm jaded, too long a Fed for the AF), but I cannot say for certain. Issued materials worn on the body usually remain the possession of the wearer, but in the case of body armor, no. When the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars started, Interceptors were hard to come by, and many people in specific career fields kept their armor until separation or retirement. Hell, many still do. Some armor slips through the cracks and people end up having them after separation from the military. I guess when you wear that stuff so much that odd to NOT wear it, the armor simply becomes a 'thing', not a big deal... I would check your state laws before selling it.

I am not a lawyer, therefore nothing above should be construed as legal opinion, just dumb military cop opinion.