Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Woman Finds Bulletproof Shield In Preschooler's Backpack—And It's Super Upsetting 😞

Woman Finds Bulletproof Shield In Preschooler's Backpack—And It's Super Upsetting 😞
(Francis DEMANGE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images, @jenni_hudson/Twitter)

As August approaches, parents are already getting a head start preparing for their kids to resume classes in the fall. On the back to school shopping list are all the usual suspects: school supplies, new clothes, and bulletproof backpacks. Wait, what? Yes, you read that correctly. Parents are purchasing bulletproof backpacks, and they're flying off the shelves.

Manufacturers have adapted to the sad reality of our all too frequent mass shootings in schools with hardly any restrictions on gun control in the foreseeable future.

But the availability of the life-saving school gear isn't exactly calming nerves.


For $160, this backpack from Office Max could save your child's life.




Remember when backpacks were originally meant to carry all your textbooks? Things have changed in 2018.





The cute color is a temporary distraction from the gravity of the situation here.



But there are other alternatives to buying a bulletproof backpack. Bulletproof inserts are also available for purchase, but they're not much cheaper; they can still cost upwards of $125.


Alex Shkop, the shop manager for Guns and Range Training Center in West Palm Beach, suggested the dense, bulletproof insert that fits into most backpacks would be the perfect solution for parents concerned about their child's safety in schools.

Shkop told CBS 12:

Kids are basically sitting ducks, 'cause they can't leave the school. School is under lockdown, and they're sitting in the classroom like sitting ducks, so this will give them at least an extra layer of protection.






He demonstrated how students could protect themselves from a gun attack, with the ballistic shield being able to withstand a bullet fired from a handgun up to a .44 magnum. However, it won't stop bullets shot from a rifle.

You probably want to just get small, and kind of hold it here and hopefully cover your head if you can.
It's sad that we have to come to that, but that's just the reality,


One woman was disheartened over the discovery of the life-saving insert, not because of the product's potential, but because it was a reflection of the new normal.




Other backpack companies have opened up kiosks in local malls, vying for a consumer's patronage in exchange for assuring a child's safety.







How far away are we from sending our kids off to school in uniforms like this?


It's unsettling. But it's the world we live in, sadly.


Are companies exploiting the culture of fear by making money?




These new products – while they can potentially save lives – just don't have us excited about going for back-to-school shopping.




H/T - Twitter, CBS12

More from Trending

Nathan Lane
Phillip Faraone/WireImage

Nathan Lane Reveals Frustrating Reason 'Space Jam' Director Rejected Him For Role

Actor Nathan Lane, on publicity tour for a new TV series, discussed old films and old chances in an interview with Vanity Fair recently.

The actor—a Tony, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, and Laurence Olivier award winner—talked about how all the awards in the world did not land him a role in the iconic movie Space Jam back in 1997.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Viral Post Explains Why It's So Alarming That GOP Is Using Signal App For Top Secret Chats

Amid revelations that Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials, particularly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen, Threads user jeanie.online went viral after stressing why Trump administration officials are really using the app to discuss secret matters.

It's worth noting that Signal messages can be set and managed to disappear, as the team behind the app acknowledges on the Signal website:

Keep ReadingShow less
Brian Kilmeade
Fox News

Fox News Host Sparks Outrage With Disturbing Stance On Immigrant Deportations

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade enraged social media users after he said that undocumented immigrants "don't deserve" due process before getting deported.

On Monday's broadcast of the right-wing cable news channel Fox & Friends, Kilmeade stated that he didn't think it was "practical to do due process on 8 million people."

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Janet Mills
Win McNamee/Getty Images (left and right)

Trump Dragged After Demanding 'Full-Throated Apology' From Maine's Governor

President Donald Trump was called out after reviving his feud with Maine Governor Janet Mills, demanding a "full-throated apology" after she pushed back last month against his executive order banning transgender women and girls from competing in female sports.

Last month, while discussing the order he'd signed on the issue, Trump threatened Mills after she said she would only comply with "state and federal laws," saying he'd deny federal funding for her state:

Keep ReadingShow less
Married couple in a mountainous field
Foto Pettine/Unsplash

The Biggest Red Flags People Have Ever Seen At A Wedding

Tying the knot with the person you see yourself spending the rest of your life with is one of life's greatest moments.

However, those who have an outside perspective of your relationship may see signs that your matrimonial bliss could be more of a miss.

Keep ReadingShow less