As school shootings remain a serious threat in the United States, with more than 230 incidents in the past decade, safety measures once reserved for military use are making their way into classrooms.
Bulletproof backpacks, reinforced hoodies and even classroom shelters are being marketed as potential solutions to protect students from harm. At a recent education fair, vendors displayed their products, including backpacks equipped with ballistic shields, alongside more traditional school supplies such as textbooks and learning toys.
While demand for these protective items is increasing, there is also growing controversy surrounding them. The prices of these supplies are very high, in fact, some cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars: to give some concrete examples, $185 for a pencil case, $450 for a bulletproof sweatshirt, and $60,000 for a classroom shelter. Despite their high prices, these products have not officially been certified by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), which is a federal agency responsible for classifying bulletproof materials. As a matter of fact, the NIJ has publicly stated that the certification claims for these products are false, noting that it only tests bulletproof vests for law enforcement.
Some experts are doubting the efficiency of these high-cost security precautions. Dewey Cornell, a University of Virginia professor specializing in classroom security, also expressed his concern that these products may offer a distort sense of security. “School security measures and so-called ‘target hardening’ are extraordinarily expensive and so far there is no scientific evidence that they make schools safer,” Cornell stated. He has helped train thousands of schools on threat assessment strategies, supporting the need for scientific evidence-based approaches to school security.
Despite these misgivings, the market for these products remains strong and stable.
Companies such as TuffyPacks, which produces ballistic shields for backpacks, reported huge spikes in sales following tragedies such as the Uvalde shooting in Texas. The owner, Steve Naremore, recognizes the “morbid” nature of the business, but compares it to selling fire extinguishers, suggesting that the demand is a reaction to the growing sense of fear and insecurity in American schools.
“People say, ‘Oh, you’re just profiting off the carnage,’” he said. “And you know what I say? ‘Look, don’t blame me. I’m just the fire extinguisher manufacturer, OK?’” claimed Naremore when exposed to concerns.
In order for these defensive products to attract the attention and understanding of families, marketing techniques often focus on child-friendly designs; in fact, products feature very bright colors and playful designs and motifs; thus, children are more incentivized to make use of these tools, which can prove to be a lifesaver in serious dangerous situations.
It remains to be seen if such products catch on with the public.
