Guard Dog Security bulletproof backpack

At first glance, a bulletproof backpack may seem like putting a Band-Aid on an amputation, but as the old saying goes, "If it saves even one life, it's worth it." There are other solutions in the wake of mass shootings -- whether they be in schools or elsewhere -- but buying a bulletproof backpack might give parents and students a certain peace of mind. -- IFPO.

From TheHill.com:

Bulletproof backpacks are reportedly rising in popularity as shootings increase across the nation and in the wake of two weekend massacres that left more than 30 people dead.

More companies are offering bulletproof backpacks for students as they gear up to go back to school as a means of protection if a potential threat were to enter their classroom, The New York Times reports.

The shields, which can cost up to $200, started becoming more in-demand after the Parkland, Fla., school shooting in 2018. After the El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, shootings over the weekend, the products are back in the spotlight — especially as many students are days and weeks away from the new school year.

J.T. Lewis, a 19-year-old student at the University of Connecticut and the brother of one of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, carried an armored backpack on campus to make him feel safer, the Times reports.

“I don’t know if it’s going to have any effect,” Lewis, who’s running for a seat in the Connecticut State Senate, told the Times. “But it might if I get shot from behind.”

 

Here's what some parents have to say, courtesy of WHOTV:

IOWA – A controversial school supply item has parents on the fence about whether or not to supply their students with it.

Office Depot and Office Max are selling bulletproof backpacks this year. In Des Moines, you have to order the item online and pick it up at the store.

Online, the item varies in price between $120 to $500 or more.

Tabitha Collins said, “This scares me. My daughter is starting kindergarten this year… I can only get her a $10 backpack… but why would I want to get a bulletproof backpack when all it’s going to do is scare her even more.”

Josh D. Staple said, “It’s sad that these things need to be created. These are great if the subject is shooting from behind someone, however there is a lot of areas open in the front.”

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