Bulletproof boom sales of school backpacks

In the United States, each "mbad shot" raises a new fear of the next. This is a particularly keen fear among parents of young children and especially now, a few days after the beginning of the school year in the United States.

Instead of letting their children choose a plastic backpack covered with Hello Kitty or Spider-Man, some parents buy backpacks that serve as shields in case children are caught in a shootout. Companies such as Guard Dog Security, Bullet Blocker and TuffyPacks have designed bullet-proof backpacks to ease these concerns. Retail companies reported that backpack sales had increased during the back-to-school period and all three had reported a significant increase as a result of mbad shootings.

Joe Curran founded Bullet Blocker 12 years ago after an attack at Virginia Tech University that left 33 dead. To protect his two school-age children, the sheriff's badistant inserted body armor into his backpacks. The parents of clbadmates asked for something similar for the backpacks of their children, and it became a business.

The company's website qualifies the bullet-proof backpack as a "consumer favorite". Prices range from $ 160 to $ 490. Most are JanSport or High Sierra backpacks fitted with ballistic panels sewn on the back. The smallest offer, the "Junior Package", is offered to preschool children.

Sales have increased 200 percent since last weekend's mbadive shooting, Curran said. Most children's bullet proof backpacks can hold ammunition of 9 and 44 magnums, but not those of a rifle.

Yasir Sheikh, president of Guard Dog Security, said the company had launched a line of bullet-proof backpacks in 2013. And since 2018, they have appeared at major retailers such as Office Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond. They are marketed as "bulletproof" or "bulletproof", depending on the store, but both are synonyms, he said. The bags cost between $ 119.99 and $ 299.99.

The Florida company builds and designs its armored backpacks and tests them in an establishment accredited by the National Institute of Justice, a research arm of the Department of Justice. The Guard Dog Backpacks offer level IIIA protection, a standard from the National Institute of Justice, which means they've been tested to support 9mm, 44mm magnum and hunting rifles. Steve Naremore, President of TuffyPacks, launched the company in 2015 after his daughter-in-law told her how often her school forced her to do shooting exercises with her students. The company sells upgraded backpacks, but specializes in light and removable ballistic shields.