The United States has seen an increase in the number of shootings. The worst thing about it is that even schools where children are supposed to be safe, they were not spared from such attacks either. While it is essential to tighten security, it also counts to equip students with some protection. One way to do that is through the use of a bulletproof backpack.
Aside from bulletproof panel which can transform any backpack into a bulletproof, bulletproof backpacks now have been gaining popularity lately. They are now readily available in both shopping malls and online stores. Many schools even promote the use of bulletproof backpacks to shield children from bullets and other possible attacks. Here are what you need to know about it:
For A Good Reason
In 2019, local news stations across Texas, Tennessee, Florida, and Idaho reported a surge in the number of parents purchasing a bulletproof backpack for their kids. Admittedly, that gives relief, but it also manifests a disheartening sign of how desperate parents are to keep their children safe. This, as gun violence continues to happen in American schools, resulting in dozens of deaths.
Of course, shootings do not only happen in schools. While partying with friends or going back home, students are still prone to the danger lurking around. Thus, bulletproof backpacks provide prime protection to them.
In relation, a photo posted on Facebook of a bulletproof backpack with the caption, “Saw this at Office Max today and my heart broke into pieces,” had reached viral status. That was days before 31 people were killed in two separate mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas. The post manifested the combined emotions attached to said products.
Parents Love Bulletproof Backpacks
As mentioned in the previous paragraphs, the number of parents buying bulletproof backpacks is rising. Many have expressed positive reviews and posted high hopes for the protection that the products give.
Let us read some of the following:
Mr. Edward Kelly shares, “Things being what they are in America today. I’m saddened by feeling the need to have purchased this item for my grandson. Hopefully, it will never need to be used for anything but a backpack. (That is) knowing that if the need arises, he will be protected gives us some comfort. My experience shopping with you was very good, very fast. I can’t thank you enough.”
Mr. Kelly also says, “I never thought I would have to purchase a bulletproof backpack for my son to go to school. Unfortunately, times have changed, and my son feels safer now going to school, and so do I.”
Keep Watch Buyer
With the growing popularity and necessity for a bulletproof backpack, who could not resist buying one? But as a buyer, beware. Some backpacks may be tested against the criteria of the National Institute of Justice, but the government agency itself does not assure or offer tests. The requirements and guidelines are used at independent testing facilities.
According to DOJ public affairs specialist Kelly Laco, the National Institute of Justice has never tested nor certified ballistic items such as blankets, backpacks, or briefcases. That means, marketing schemes claiming NIJ certification for such bags is false.
William Bratton, the former New York Police Department Commissioner, also shared that he would alert parents about the quality or effectiveness of these backpacks against firearms.
