bullet proof backpacks for schools

There are several possibilities.

1. You can break school rules and perhaps the local law - TFL does not recommend such and members should not.

2. You can carry close up weapons as a knife. An OC spray has a touch more distance potential and easy to carry. A tac flashlight has distraction potential and impact usage.

These assume closing with the assailant.

3. If you are a large lecture hall and the assailant plans how to attack and to take a position where closing on him would be difficult (the Alice training and the like usually show folks that are close to the shooter and he stands there like a doofus while you throw crap or try to bop him with the window pole) - you are out of luck. That's the 20 people die before the law arrives scenario.

If you could get everyone to do the fast zombie horde charge and take causalities you might disarm him or her. That has to be practiced.

4. If you have time, figure out how to bar the door or block it up.

5. Flee, rather than huddle. Minimizes causalities.
 
I think I would consider a level III vest if I was as concerned as you are. It will stop everything except armor piercing rounds.

A level IV vest (protection against the above) is usually only good for one hit.
 
I've seen videos for the panels the OP is talking about. Fairly light ballistic cloth panels in a hard medium like a small white board or clipboard. IIRC, they ran about $100. Pretty decent if you ask me, adequate against handguns or edged weapons. Great for people who have to work in a courtroom or something where they have to go through security checkpoints. A shield is always a good thing to have if someone is attacking you, and it fits in a briefcase.

OTOH, for a school setting, a couple thick textbooks in a backpack will probably stop most pistol rounds, and my kids always seem to have their school backpacks full of such textbooks. Easy enough to test at the range, but of course kids wouldn't think of using a backpack full of books as improvised armor unless someone put the thought in their mind ahead of time. Given the way Ben Carson was lambasted for suggesting people should fight back rather than stand around and get killed in a mass shooting, it is no wonder people aren't lining up to make practical suggestions in the mainstream media.
 
The statistical probability of being in a mass shooting at school is VERY low. That said, it is non-zero. Some of us on TFL have lost friends to active shooters.

Level III+ or IV will stop rifle rounds. That is kind of a worst-case that you can defend against. Level IIIA will stop most pistol rounds, which is the most likely threat from our already low-probability scenario. Level IV plates can be had for $100-400, and weigh between 4 and 10lbs. Level IIIA panels of kevlar or similar material can also be bought for $100 and up, and will be significantly lighter. There are also low-profile Level II and IIIA vests, if that suits your fancy. The advantage there is you don't need to have a backpack handy, and they can cover around your torso, rather than one side.

Most people outside the Law Enforcement community don't wear vests, as the inconvenience outweighs the probability of victimization. The choice is yours. I don't see the need to walk around in a vest or with a panel in a backpack, but it really doesn't do any harm (so long as you don't mind the weight).
 
I think expecting an elementary schooler to carry around an armored backpack is a bit much. Not only is armored plate expensive, but it's also heavy. Also are you going to expect a kid to effectively use the backpack as a shield in a stressful situation? How do you train a kid for something like that?
For the money that parents would spend on an armored backpack for their kids you could get all of them to chip in and get an armed security guard, such as a retired policeman or something. The community college that I attend has armed security; they carry tasers and a handgun and are very professional looking. Or you could designate one of the administrators to preform that role and send them for the proper weapons training. Of course an armored backpack wouldn't hurt (except your wallet:D), I think there are cheaper, better options for protecting kids. Talk to your PTSA and see how they feel.
 
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Back when my kids were in grade school, there was a "book bag" that folded out into a small but somewhat effective ballistic blanket. Trouble was- it only held one book.
 
"...clipboard or bag insert..." Think in terms of a 115 grain 9mm bullet with an MV of 1100ish FPS and an ME of roughly 31,000 to 32,000 PSI. Think a clip board will help? And a Level 3, 9 x 14, ballistic, clip board runs $65.
A kid will not hump anything heavy. A bulletproof KID'S back pack starts at $300ish. No weights given.
 
If you are that worried perhaps working or sending your kid dis to public school is not for you. And unlike someone who said they are responsible for your safety, hogwash. You CHOOSE to work there. If it is too dangerous for your liking go elsewhere. How many millions of key dis go to school everyday with no issues. If you want to worry about every possible what if scenario, then maybe barricading yourself in your home is the best choice for you.
 
You CHOOSE to work there. If it is too dangerous for your liking go elsewhere.
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Go where?

Show me a corporate manual these days, that does not restrict the carrying of firearms or weapons on company property or business.
 
Boy thats a fact. Even my CEO has a CC permit ( he gives me his spent brass) but if I carried at work and some busy body dropped a dime on me.
I would be gone by the end of the day. Dope heads get treated better.
They at least get treatment before they are fired.
My place even forbids ammo.

It is what it is. I have to eat and pay for my Guns. soooo.

Now onto the back pack plates.
I have one at work right now.
Chip and a chair maybe gets me to the door.
Having it on my back is fine because thats what the bastage is gona see.
An old white guy running as fast as he can. They have taken away my ability to assist and effect. So I dont plan too.
 
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I can tell you first hand that Sears Catalogs, phone books and text books will stop a .30.06 at close range.
If you could keep the books in the right place no metal would be needed.
 
Worth it? There are inserts, clipboards, bags, etc for kids and teachers. I am a faculty member and thought a clipboard or bag insert rated level 3a or 4 would be worth it because we are basically defenseless on campus because we cannot carry...Thoughts on this stuff?
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Worth it? From a practical standpoint, not likely. From a piece of mind standpoint, it may make you feel better. I have a IIIA briefcase insert that I use when I travel on business and used to carry it to work when I worked by downtown Dallas. Never had a need. Then again, I never needed my gun either. See the parallelism?

If you have the money and such protection fits what you are doing, then why not not have the extra protection?
 
I can tell you first hand that Sears Catalogs, phone books and text books will stop a .30.06 at close range.
If you could keep the books in the right place no metal would be needed.
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6-8" of (3 or 4) old gunshop catalogs will stop most hollowpoint handgun rounds fired from 2-3 ft
 
Your child is much more likely to die in a fire (0.75 per 100,000), swimming pool (2 per 100,000), from food poisoning (2 per 100,000), or in a car wreck on the way to school (10 per 100,000) than be involved in a school shooting (0.15 per 100,000).

Allocate your resources wisely.
 
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You CHOOSE to work there. If it is too dangerous for your liking go elsewhere.

Go where?

Show me a corporate manual these days, that does not restrict the carrying of firearms or weapons on company property or business.
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Dumb to advise somebody to break the law without reviewing the possible consequences. I don't know about your state, but in Ohio if you carry anywhere where prohibited it carries the penalty of law and you lose your carry permit, and if you do it in a school it carries some serious federal penalties as well. As much disdain as I have for "gun free zones", violating a school's weapons ban not only gets you fired, but may prevent you from ever working again in your chosen profession if it involves working in a school. We need to chip away at "gun free zones" but until those laws are fixed, you are advising people to take a lot of personal risk to prepare for a very unlikley threat.



For the OP, I think if people actually carried books in their book bags, most pistol rounds would have a hard time passing through.
 
IMO, pretty useless to carry close to 10 lbs extra in your backpack with the off chance that one will be quick enough to use the backpack as cover in the event of an active shooter.

Better off carrying a P32 or P3AT in a pocket holster in your backpocket with the pocket buttoned down. Aren't allowed to carry on campus? Oh well . . . :rolleyes:
 
A touch off topic. I find having a can of hornet spray is better than pepper spray. Hornet spray will travel 20+feet with a healthy stream, completely legal and If hit in the face area. guarantied trip to the ER. The person will not shake that off. Also great for car carry
 
A touch off topic. I find having a can of hornet spray is better than pepper spray. Hornet spray will travel 20+feet with a healthy stream, completely legal and If hit in the face area. guarantied trip to the ER. The person will not shake that off. Also great for car carry
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That's a myth that's become popular.

It is illegal to use it in any manner not listed on the label, and there's no real evidence it's even a good deterrent

Keeping a can of anything pressurized in a car during the Summer is asking for trouble.

http://www.resistattack.org/Articles/Pepper-Spray/Can-You-Use-Wasp-Spray-Against-An-Attacker
 
The hornet sprays can be neurotoxins and lethal. Thus, using them is forbidden according to some state laws. If you use it at a longer range OC that is a no-go as it is an instrument of lethal force which might not be appropriate for a OC situation.

Better having a standard OC spray.
 
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