Ban on Masks (H 7543)

This bill would have made it a crime for a person to, during a parade, demonstration, or rally, wear a gas mask, wear protective clothing or equipment designed to prevent a person from injury, or wear any mask at all with the “intent to intimidate another person.”

Opposed by the ACLU, this bill would have made it a crime for a person to, during a parade, demonstration, or rally, wear a gas mask, wear protective clothing or equipment designed to prevent a person from injury, or wear any mask at all with the “intent to intimidate another person.” This bill raised serious First Amendment issues in its attempt to allow the government to decide whether a mask in lawful free speech exercises is “intimidating” or not and is especially concerning in its ban on the use of protective clothing.