Company Develops Bulletproof 'Blankets' To Protect Students
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Oklahoma company has developed a bullet-proof shield designed to protect students from flying debris during a disaster--or from a gunman's bullet.
According to several media reports, there have been more than 70 school shootings in the United States since Adam Lanza's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which killed 26 students and school workers in December 2012.
Those numbers have boosted sales of the Bodyguard blanket, Stan Schone, managing partner at manufacturer ProTecht, told the Huffington Post.
The company's sales pitch clearly focuses on fears of school shootings.
A promotional video shows how "just and ordinary day" can suddenly turn tragic.
Viewers first see news footage of tornado damage and how the blanket can protect students from flying objects during a tornado.
And then, the the narrator voices over a close-up image of an unidentified young man raising a handgun: "Crazed gunmen have entered our schools prepared to kill our children and teachers."
The device is worn like a backpack and users can crouch down and cover themselves with a the same type of bullet-proof protection used in combat.
On the company website, tests show how a 9mm bullet was trapped in the blanket.
Each blanket costs around $1,000, likely making it difficult for many cash-challenged school districts to afford.
Nonetheless Schone told HuffPo: "We have been contacted by several private and public schools that have shown great interest and by many concerned parents wanting to purchase them as well."
The company also offers to take donations to help schools and non-profit groups defray the costs.