Of course we're "allowed" to own them in the United States...
Despite what people on reddit, and other fringe internet forums would have you believe, The United States has some of the strongest personal liberties in the world.
Fairly disingenuous to claim we can own them, which, though true as far as it goes, really doesn't accurately describe the situation.
In most jurisdictions, it's illegal to wear a gas mask during a protest. The ostensible logic for this is that they, as with all masks, obscure the face and hinder personal identification by police (which we'd call "internal security forces" if it were Turkey or China or someplace).
If you're caught wearing one during a protest, you can be arrested ipso facto, and it will be confiscated and not returned to you, and you'll be subject to legal penalties merely for wearing it.
We Americans may be allowed to own gas masks, but we are not allowed to wear them. I was at WTO `Battle in Seattle', protesters were
arrested for wearing them, individuals had their gas masks brutally removed then pepper sprayed in the face.
Do riot police arbitrarily make these rules up on the fly?
13+ years since WTO Battle in Seattle? Melissa Kaplan still cannot find
Washington State wearing gas mask code/regulations?
What is it about Evergreen(Evergray?) Washington State?
Last updated January 13, 2013
State Codes Related To Wearing Masks
Compiled by Melissa Kaplan
Need to wear an air filtration mask when you go out to avoid the effects of fragrances, chemicals, pollens and more?
You may be breaking the law.
Each state has its own code relating to masks (though some states may have no such code) and/or disguises. In some, you may be okay wearing a filtration or surgical mask; in others, you may be required to carry a note from your physician stating that you need to wear the mask for health reasons.
If you find the code section for your state and send me a copy of the section and language, I will add it to this listing.
.......................
The only thing I could find:
Seattle municipal court judge dismisses WTO gas mask case on February 17, 2000.
On February 17, 2000, a municipal court judge dismisses criminal charges against a man accused of violating the emergency order prohibiting the possession of "devices commonly known as gas masks" during the period of unrest surrounding the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting which occurred in late November and early December, 1999, in Seattle.
Mayor Paul Schell had issued an emergency order prohibiting the possession of gas masks in Seattle except by military and police on December 1, 1999. Later that day, journalists were allowed to possess gas masks, but the ban did not extend to firefighters.
Justin Reed of Seattle was arrested at City Hall on the day the ban was signed when he attempted to attend a City Council hearing called to discuss and ratify the mayor's order. The judge ruled that prosecutors did not prove that Reed knew of the ban when he was arrested. The charges were dismissed "with prejudice" meaning that Reed could not be charged again with the same crime.
As of February 17, 2000, only 24 persons out of more than 600 arrested during WTO protests were still charged with crimes, including four accused of violating the gas mask ban.
> Despite what people on reddit, and other fringe internet forums would have you believe, The United States has some of the strongest personal liberties in the world.
I must disagree. Any government that would prohibit free agriculture is already on the road to tyranny. Every dictatorship, no matter its form, allows for the existence of some personal liberties as it limits the rest.
Despite what people on reddit, and other fringe internet forums would have you believe, The United States has some of the strongest personal liberties in the world.