Saturday, August 18, 2007

Sad Shape of the World


Bullet-proof Backpack

DANVERS, Mass. - New for this U.S. schoolchildren this
fall -- stylish yet functional -- it's a backpack with
a bulletproof lining. The item is being marketed by MJ
Safety Solutions, a company founded by Mike Pelonzi and
Joe Curran of Massachusetts. "I'm a parent and so is Joe
and we wanted a way of keeping kids safe at school and
this is what we came up with," Pelonzi told The Staten
Island Advance. The company sells two sizes, one for
books and the other for laptop computers. Both have a
light metal plate sewn into the back, guaranteed to stop
bullets although weighing no more than a bottle of water.
The MJ Solutions Web site says there have been 328 school
shootings since 1999, with 229 dead and 422 injured. "In
almost 97 percent of these documented incidents, MJ Safety
Solutions' backpack could have provided the ballistic
protection that could have saved lives," the site claims.
The makers say the backpacks will also protect against
knives and other weapons
.

5 comments:

ms. whatsit said...

I can't decide whether this company is really providing a service or taking advantage of parents' worst fears.

A little voice inside me says that this backpack wouldn't have made a difference at Columbine.

care020 said...

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems this would only help if the attack came from behind which is not always the case.

CaliforniaTeacherGuy said...

What child wears a backpack all the time?

I agree with Ms. Whatsit: These backpacks are simply feeding into our fears.

Pissedoffteacher said...

I agree--I think these backbacks are awful. Besides, backpacks are heavy enough without he extra weight of the bulletproofing.

Anonymous said...

well, if a pack were empty... of course, as the articles point out, a big textbook might stop a knife or projectile, depending on speed and trajectory.