Americans buy bulletproof rucksacks for schoolchildren: can they protect during shooting

Two recent mass executions in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, again shocked people throughout the United States and resumed discussions on arms control.

Фото: Depositphotos

In anticipation of the new school year, parents fear for the lives of their children, remembering the shootings at schools in Parkland (Florida) and Newtown (Connecticut), and are also looking for ways to protect their lives, writes People.

One option for this protection is bulletproof backpacks. Several brands sell different versions of this product, including Skyline USA and Bullet Blocker. The founder and president of Skyline USA, Yasser Sheikh, said the sales level of their backpacks has grown this year. Bullet Blocker founder Joe Curran said they have been selling bulletproof backpacks since the 2007 of the year and there has been an increase in sales over the past few years.

“Sales of our backpacks and liners have increased approximately 200 percent over the past year. During the back-to-school season, we sell many of our products to parents, teachers and students,” Curran said.

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Although there are other brands of similar products, very few of them meet the minimum effectiveness requirements set by the National Institute of Justice. The Skyline USA and Bullet Blocker backpacks are rated at "Level IIIA," meaning they can stop bullets fired from a 9mm pistol and .44 Magnum. However, several recent school shootings involved different weapons that were more powerful than those used during the backpack testing. Therefore, their effectiveness against such weapons is unknown.

Wendy Connor, a mother of two from Florida, bought bulletproof backpacks for both of her children after shooting in Parkland.

“I thought it might at least give them a chance in the event of a school shooting,” she said. However, the heavy weight of the backpacks made them difficult for children to carry. The woman said she might be interested in purchasing again if a better design was used and the product could be made lighter.

“They were quite expensive, but I thought it was a small price to pay. Any chance we can give our children is worth it,” Connor explained.

Susan Macklin, the mother of two teenagers from New Jersey, was initially opposed to the idea of ​​bulletproof backpacks, viewing them as a reaction to a “distorted perception of the threat.” But recently, gun violence occurred near her home.

“In June, a man was arrested while sitting in his SUV parked in front of one of my town's elementary schools. He had a Glock pistol and more than 130 rounds of ammunition. So now a bulletproof backpack doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me. This is real, and it can affect any of us,” the woman noted.

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David Schonfeld, a development pediatrician and director of the National Crisis Center, said he was not sure backpacks could be as effective as people expect, but parents might find them encouraging.

“One thing we've learned when we've worked with schools, especially when there's been a shooting in that school or in a community or even in another community, it makes people, parents in particular, feel very vulnerable about the safety of their children. There's often a need to have at least the illusion of control... You can talk about how it's counter-intuitive and it's unclear if it's going to work, but somehow they need to believe that they're doing something that might work." Schonfeld said.

However, some parents also question the practicality of bulletproof backpacks.

“How many kids actually have their backpacks in their hands when a shooter comes to school? Most children place their backpacks on the floor near the door or near their desk. If a shooter comes into a school, they should lock the classroom door, hide, etc. I hope that at that point they don't have to run around in an open area or on campus with a backpack on their back,” said Rachel Mandell VanDermark of Florida. raising three children.

“I don’t think at a time like this any person, adult or child, would have the time or mental clarity to grab a backpack and use it as a shield. Additionally, backpacks are also very heavy, which will slow down anyone trying to take cover or escape,” said Jennifer Wharton, a mom of two in Los Angeles.

On the subject: Teachers in Florida allowed to carry firearms

Schonfeld echoed the concerns of Wharton and VanDermark about difficult access to backpacks. He said students can spend time trying to get to their backpacks instead of hiding or running away, which is a cause for concern.

Many parents said they would not scare their children by insisting on using bulletproof backpacks.

“The idea of ​​handing my 5-year-old a backpack and explaining that he should use it to protect his body from bullets is beyond me,” said Mary Katherine Backstrom of Florida. She said her son faced the threat of a mass shooting during a training session when he was in preschool, and as a result he worried about the threat for months.

"I will not do it. I send my son to school to learn, grow and develop. I won't feed the idea that his school is a potential war zone. This fight needs to happen outside of the classroom, through legislation, and it is high time adults cleaned up this mess. I refuse to accept that this is what America has become,” Backstrom said.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• In early August, two large-scale mass shootings took place in the United States at once.
• As a result, shooting at the mall in the city of El Paso, 22 people died, more than 20 were injured. It has become the deadliest day in Texas history.
• 4 August 24-year-old Connor Betts staged a mass shooting at bar entrance in dayton, Ohio, which killed nine people, among whom was the arrow shooter Megan Betts.
• Latin American leaders believe that anti-immigrant rhetoric of the president Donald Trump's US is fueling violence, which contributes to tragedies such as the mass shooting in El Paso and Dayton.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Big Brother: How are potential criminals secretly monitored in the US?

What an AR-15 rifle bullet can do to a human body?

What weapons can be wielded in the USA

Passion for Arms: Why the US Can't Stop Frequent Mass Executions

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