Bulletproof Backpacks to Debut at Schools

In the years since the Columbine school shooting, law enforcement and school officials have tried to step up security, create new school policies, and provide training for school staff and students in an attempt to keep our children safe. Two fathers in the Boston, Massachusetts area have created a bulletproof backpack that kids can carry and use as a shield in a direct attempt to deflect an armed attack.

The backpack, called "My Child's Pack," is available online at www.mychildspack.com through MJ Safety Solutions, a company started by Mike Pelonzi and Joe Curran. The backpack retails for $175, comes in two designs (both are large enough to carry a laptop computer) and multiple colors, and weighs just twenty ounces, about as much as a bottle of water - much less than a traditional bulletproof vest.

"My Child's Pack" deflects both bullets and knife attacks, and was designed to meet the standards set by the National Institute for Justice. The backpack provides protection from behind, but can also be used as a shield in the event of an attack. Research conducted during the testing of the pack has shown that it could stop 97 percent of bullets used in all school shootings since 1900.

In a poll on the Boston Herald's website, 36 percent of respondents said "yes," they would purchase the packs for their children. Also, a note on the company's website warns potential customers of difficulties in the ordering process due to "overwhelming response." The website also lists other options for ordering in the event that customers cannot complete their order online.

Many school districts, however, do not allow traditional backpacks to be carried into schools. They require either transparent or mesh backpacks, or they have banned them altogether. At schools in Pinellas County, Florida, the school district that includes St. Petersburg and Clearwater schools, the backpack policy is addressed by individual school principals. Many schools throughout the county do not allow children to carry backpacks at all.