Companies Offering Bulletproof Backpacks, Hoodies For Children Going Back To School In Wake Of Mass Shootings
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Kids are heading back to school soon and parents are stocking up on school supplies. In the wake of mass shootings in Ohio and Texas, more and more parents are adding safety-related items to their back-to-school lists.
Backpacks come in all shapes and colors but now there are some that can stop a gun shot.
Office Depot is among the retailers selling bulletproof backpacks.
Marisol Rodriguez is thinking about getting one for her teenager.
"Do I have that much money to spend on it? No, I do not," Rodriguez said. "But am I willing to work the hours and the time to do what I have to do as a mother to protect my child? I will."
Eric Swanson purchased one for his child.
"They can protect children in a way that doesn't require them to think about it other than pull the thing up," Swanson said.
In addition to full backpacks, some manufacturers offer inserts that slide into a current backpack.
Several manufacturers have seen a 200 to 300 percent spike in sales for these products after the recent mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.
Meanwhile, a San Francisco-area company is offering another option, a bulletproof hoodie for adults and children called the Wonder Hoodie.
"It's a hoodie that has a bulletproof vest ingrained inside, so you can zip it on and off," said Wonder Hoodie creator, Vy Tran.
Bulletproof backpacks and insert panels designed to stop a bullet from a handgun are normally priced between $100 and $300.
But they're not built to stop a bullet from a more powerful weapon like an AR-15 or AK-47.
There are more heavier and expensive shields for that.
