Retailers are having difficulty keeping bulletproof backpacks in stock in the aftermath of the Florida school shooting. The BulletBlocker brand of backpacks sold out shortly after a deranged former student gunned down 17 people on Valentine’s Day.
Reality TV star Kim Zolciak capitalized off the Florida tragedy by advertising bulletproof backpacks on her social media pages.
She posted an ad for a backpack on her Instagram account, along with the caption:
“I just asked Kroy what can we do as parents to protect our children everyday in this crazy sad world. He said, “best thing we could do for now is get bullet proof book bags” you know I just did!”
The bags look like any other backpack but the back panel is made of Kevlar, a high-strength material used in bulletproof wests. The fortified backpack weighs about 4 pounds and retails for $100-$300.
The backpacks are certified by the National Institute of Justice to withstand 10 shots from over eight feet from a .44 and 9-millimeter gun.
Police are cautioning parents that the fortified backpacks won’t stop a round fired from an AR-15 rifle, the weapon of choice for school shooters.
According to UK’s Metro News, Jeffrey Kimball, a former police officer and firearms instructor who tested the backpacks said that they would not withstand bullets from an AR-15.
He said: “The plate that is in here is rated for pistols, it’s not necessarily rated for rifles.” Bullets fired from an AR-15 went right through the backpack and shredded the Kevlar plate.
If you can’t find a bulletproof backpack in a store, Amazon.com and other online retailers are doing brisk business selling Kevlar inserts for backpacks.
“I guess that’s just the harsh reality of the world we live in today,” parent Nick Barnett told Metro.
He wanted to buy a backpack, but they were sold out so he settled for bulletproof inserts to put inside his children’s backpacks.
“You definitely can’t put a price on your child’s life,” he said.
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