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AR15.COM
8/11/2007 9:27:31 AM EDT
Interesting....

www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13860078/detail.html



BOSTON -- It's time for parents to make the annual trek to get back to school items, which usually includes jeans, jerseys and a few notebooks.
NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported Thursday that a couple of North Shore men want parents to consider something else -- a bulletproof backpack.
"They have them with them on the floor, on their laps, on the bus. They always have a backpack," said Joe Curran, of My Child's Pack.

It started with the Columbine shooting in 1999. Curran and Mike Pelonzi said that they watched and worried for their own children. They had the idea to hide bulletproof material inside a backpack. They call it defensive action.
"If the kid has a backpack next to them, or under the desk, they can pick it up, the straps act as a handle and it becomes a shield," Curran said.
It's much lighter than a 15-pound police vest. After three years of experimenting, the backpacks that were tested by an outside lab ranked threat level two. It stops an assortment of bullets, including 9-millimeter hollow point bullets. The fathers researched school shootings from 1900 to this year.
They will sell for $175, but do the special book bags play upon paranoia when most schools are called safe?
"I want to keep my kid safe. I don't care what you do -- if you want to fight the good fight or fix the world's hurts, I can't help you, but my kids are going to be safe because of these backpacks," Curran said.
8/11/2007 9:30:56 AM EDT
[#1]
With the right marketing.....they will get rich selling them.
8/11/2007 9:32:44 AM EDT
[#2]
Nothing new.

www.bulletproofme.com/Ballistic-Backpack-Shields.shtml
8/11/2007 9:32:46 AM EDT
[#3]
Sweet.

I have some ballistic fabric...I wonder if I could get it set up as an insert in my bug-out bag.
8/11/2007 9:36:46 AM EDT
[#4]
The best defense is a good offense.
8/11/2007 9:37:56 AM EDT
[#5]
Pretty sad there is a market for them.
8/11/2007 9:38:14 AM EDT
[#6]
Most schools do not allow backpacks into classrooms, and they must be left inside lockers. So what good is it when it has to be left in a locker?

Is this thing good for protecting you while you are just running away?
8/11/2007 9:38:53 AM EDT
[#7]

Quoted:
Most schools do not allow backpacks into classrooms, and they must be left inside lockers. So what good is it when it has to be left in a locker?

Is this thing good for protecting you while you are just running away?


Most schools around here are the opposite and do not allow lockers.
8/11/2007 9:39:07 AM EDT
[#8]
A lot of schools are requiring mesh or see through backpacks - are these?
8/11/2007 9:41:28 AM EDT
[#9]
9 mm HOLOW POINTS!!!!! NO WAY!!!!
8/11/2007 9:41:30 AM EDT
[#10]

Quoted:
A lot of schools are requiring mesh or see through backpacks - are these?

You think?
8/11/2007 9:41:54 AM EDT
[#11]

Quoted:
The best defense is a good offense.


True statement. Cue the story of that kid that got shot, then recognized the shooter was out of ammo and tackled him.
8/11/2007 9:45:25 AM EDT
[#12]
Bulletproof backpacks are nothing new. Heck, for a while MAC-10's came in briefcases that could be used as kevlar shields. Whip it open, grab the MAC, and hold the briefcase out like a shield.

While an interesting idea, I'd much rather invest in an actual ballistic vest than a backpack that I may not be wearing (or if I am wearing it, may not be between me and the attacker) or that I may not be allowed to have with me (though in college, such ridiculous rules are non-existent).  Or, you know, a handgun so I can actually stop the attacker from killing me and others. All the school/college killers tend to be pretty thorough in regards to finishing off survivors lately.
8/11/2007 9:46:56 AM EDT
[#13]
You can't give an elementary-age child a gun to defend himself, but why not a bullet-resistant backpack?  There's probably not a big market for that, but I'm sure they'll sell a few.

If you can't have the sword, at least have the shield.
8/11/2007 9:51:00 AM EDT
[#14]
SS guy once told me years ago that basically everything around the prez  is bullet proof to some extent. ie, clipboards, raincoats, brief cases etc.... So they can be used as a shield while extracting him from a situation.

Bulletproof back pack makes sense to me.
8/11/2007 9:51:49 AM EDT
[#15]
What about backface deformation?
8/11/2007 9:54:30 AM EDT
[#16]
I think I would homeschool before I started buying bulletproof clothing.
8/11/2007 9:55:09 AM EDT
[#17]

Quoted:
What about backface deformation?


Bruises build character.
8/11/2007 9:58:06 AM EDT
[#18]
Sounds great, until little Johnny gets dusted anyway because the shooter pushed his backpack aside and shot him point blank. Now you've got an active shooter with bodyarmor. That'll be fun.
8/11/2007 10:02:52 AM EDT
[#19]

Now you've got an active shooter with bodyarmor. That'll be fun.


Patrol car rifle will punch right through that.

Actually, scratch that... don't want the police to be too militaristic
8/11/2007 10:08:09 AM EDT
[#20]

Quoted:
Pretty sad there is a market for them.


There isn't a market for them though.
It's just easily swayed dumbasses who will buy them.
Count how many school shootings* there have been and compare it to the days of class in session in the same time period.

*Real school shootings like VT, not gang shootings in a school.
8/11/2007 10:08:45 AM EDT
[#21]

Quoted:

Quoted:
What about backface deformation?


Bruises build character.



Best.Answer.Ever.
8/11/2007 10:21:33 AM EDT
[#22]

Best.Answer.Ever.


Yes... yes indeed.
8/11/2007 10:26:11 AM EDT
[#23]

Quoted:
Bulletproof backpacks are nothing new. Heck, for a while MAC-10's came in briefcases that could be used as kevlar shields. Whip it open, grab the MAC, and hold the briefcase out like a shield.


There were (and are, AFAIK) several companies marketing "executive kevlar" - level II or III chunks that come in sizes to fit inside most attache cases - figuring the target can carry a briefcase w/o notice.

MAC-10 optional.


While an interesting idea, I'd much rather invest in an actual ballistic vest than a backpack that I may not be wearing (or if I am wearing it, may not be between me and the attacker) or that I may not be allowed to have with me (though in college, such ridiculous rules are non-existent).  Or, you know, a handgun so I can actually stop the attacker from killing me and others. All the school/college killers tend to be pretty thorough in regards to finishing off survivors lately.


All the more reason we need to make laws prohibiting murder!

Ummmm, how about rules establishing gun-free zones in schools!

Oh, wait... where have I seen that before...

Give me a minute... I'm sure it works the way they intended...
8/11/2007 10:31:08 AM EDT
[#24]
The Eagle Indusries FSBE II is designed to hold an armor plate.
8/11/2007 10:43:24 AM EDT
[#25]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Pretty sad there is a market for them.


There isn't a market for them though.
It's just easily swayed dumbasses who will buy them.
Count how many school shootings* there have been and compare it to the days of class in session in the same time period.

*Real school shootings like VT, not gang shootings in a school.


Remember after 9/11 when they were selling corperate parachutes? As in, for jumping out of burning buildings?
8/11/2007 11:30:49 AM EDT
[#26]

Quoted:
Most schools do not allow backpacks into classrooms, and they must be left inside lockers. So what good is it when it has to be left in a locker?

Is this thing good for protecting you while you are just running away?


No lockers here.
8/15/2007 6:58:59 PM EDT
[#27]
ah, gawd...

My Child's Pack video
8/16/2007 6:00:48 AM EDT
[#28]
interesting, i would rather have more ARMED police at schools

8/16/2007 6:37:07 AM EDT
[#29]
I don't see primary schools as a good market - but if I was going to VT I might conceivably want one.