Mr Al Young Dot Com

For most kids, summer will be over and school starts in the next few weeks. That means, its time to get new clothes, and school supplies such as pencils, paper, and binders. Do we need to add bulletproof backpacks to the list of school supplies? A company in Massachusetts is selling just that, bulletproof backpacks for $175. In response to the Columbine shootings in 1999 and several other subsequent school shooting, these backpacks were created to give kids a defense in the event of a shooting in their school. Here is a video of how it works.

It is lighter than a 15 pound police vest, but heavier than a regular backpack. As a parent with a child starting kindergarten this week, I’m not sure how I feel about this. I am saddened that we live a society that bringing bulletproof backpack to school may be necessary, and even prudent. However, if the unthinkable were to happen in my child’s school, I would hope that they would have some defense and a fighting chance to survive. For now, I still would like to think Kindergarten is still a safe place of learning, and bulletproof backpacks are not necessary……yet.