As students prepare to head back to school in the coming weeks, their safety is on the minds of many parents and educators.
Over the past few years, there have been a number of mass shootings that made headlines. These shootings have forced parents to ask themselves if their children will be safe at school. Some companies and stores have even decided to sell “bullet-resistant” backpacks as a response to these concerns.
Gun control continues to be at the forefront of many debates.
A shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas killed 22 people and injured 24 others on August 3, 2019. Another mass shooting that occurred on August 4, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio killed nine people and injured 27 others.
In 2019, there were 417 mass shootings in the United States, according to the non-profit group Gun Violence Archive.
Some of those shootings happened in the midst of back-to-school season.
As families across the country got ready to head back to the classrooms, shopped for school essentials.
However, some parents have spotted a new product on the shelf that is supposed to help students in case of a school shooting.
A number of companies are creating “bullet-resistant” backpacks and accessories.
Many of these companies have said that demand for these products increased following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 which killed 17 people.
One reporter spotted these bullet-resistant backpacks at a store selling other back-to-school supplies.
Stores like Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples have reportedly been stocking up on the bags.
Her tweet has since gone viral, with many people asking if the image was a “joke”.
According to the original poster, she found these bags in her local Office Max where they retailed for $119.99.
The image of the backpacks has added another dimension to the gun control debate.
Many people responded to this photo with shock, saying that it’s not “normal” for students to need bullet-proof items for school.
A number of people spotted the backpacks before the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.
This Twitter user tweeted a photo of the backpacks on July 30 but the tweet got a lot more attention following those shootings in 2019.
In another viral post, one woman said her heart, “broke into pieces” when she saw the backpacks at her local Office Max.
Facebook user Courtney Anne shared an image of the backpacks days before the mass shootings in a post that has now gone viral.
In a follow-up message she wrote, “School should be a safe place for our kids and we shouldn’t have to be arming them with bullet-resistant backpacks or arming the schools with guards and metal detectors.”
