20 Dec 2012 4:04 pm
Bulletproof Backpack Sales Soar After Elementary School Shooting Guns arent the only product flying off the shelves in the wake of the Connecticut elementary school shooting that killed 20 children and 7 adults. Parents hoping to shield their children from the terrible fate that befell the kids of Newtown are purchasing armored backpack, meant to protect fragile bodies from bullet fire. Sadly, this seemingly drastic attempt to steel children to the whims of firearms might not even be enough to save their lives; the AP reports that the armor is designed to stop bullets from handguns, not assault weapons like the one used in the shooting at the Newtown, Conn., school. And Psychiatrists worry about the emotional implications, too, of arming children: Anne Marie Albano, psychiatry director at Columbia Universitys Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said parents should convey calmness, not anxiety. This is not serving to keep children safe, she said. This is serving to increase their fear and their suspicion of their peers. At Amendment II in Salt Lake City, sales of its childrens backpacks and armored inserts have increased, with 200 purchase requests Wednesday alone. There's always someone looking to profit off people's fear. These backpacks sell for around $200, andare probably useless. Students dont carry their backpacks for most of the day, and in the event of a scary, split-second disaster, a child is unlikely to deflect bullets with a backpack.