Israeli firm selling bulletproof backpacks in US in wake of Parkland school

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

AN ISRAELI FIRM has said it has sold US customers hundreds of its bulletproof school bags, introduced in the wake of the Parkland school massacre.

“We designed a bullet-proof backpack at the request of our distributors in the United States after the huge trauma caused by the February shooting in Florida,” Snir Koren, CEO of Masada Armor, told AFP today.

Nikolas Cruz, 19 at the time of the attack, allegedly opened fire and killed 17 people on 14 February in his former high school in Parkland, Florida with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle.

He has said that he heard voices telling him to “burn, kill, destroy”.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for him, in a trial that could begin at the end of next year.

In a matter of months protective gear manufacturer Masada Armor, based in the northern Israeli town of Julis, developed its bulletproof backpack and got it certified by the Israeli army and police.

“Since then, orders from the United States have been coming in,” Koren said in Hebrew.

In two months we have sold hundreds and are gearing up to increase production rates to 500 units per month.

The basic model weighs around three kilograms, protects against 9mm pistol fire and sells for $500 (€428), he says.

An improved version, weighing five kilograms, is designed to give protection against high-velocity rifles such as the AR-15 and the M-16 and Kalashnikov assault rifles and will sell for more than $700 (€600.50).

Koren says that while his bags are suitable for college students, they are too heavy for younger pupils.

“We are developing a lighter model for their type of morphology,” he said.




Honestly I'm not sure how I feel about this.  

It's seems like a good concept, but has a fair number of flaws.  It's not like a backpack is that big for starters. Also most kids don't carry their backpacks around the entire school day, and the price tag alone would put it out of range for a lot of families.

But now if they can make a weightless, invisible force field type of impenetrable shield, then yeah I'd sell a kidney, or some other body parts to be able to get my kids one each!

This is an interesting concept, however, i feel it's a waste of money because there's still areas that aren't protected that can still kill or injure them.

From the back of a student, the head, the arms, a bit of the shoulder and legs are unprotected and on the left and right side of a student, you have the neck and body area not protected (the bullet can damage the heart and lungs with just one shot).

Halcyon666 wrote:

This is an interesting concept, however, i feel it's a waste of money because there's still areas that aren't protected that can still kill or injure them.

From the back of a student, the head, the arms, a bit of the shoulder and legs are unprotected and on the left and right side of a student, you have the neck and body area not protected (the bullet can damage the heart and lungs with just one shot).

Agree. It does leave vital areas unprotected. Honestly it wouldn't be much to try to hide behind either, especially if you had a shooter walking around/up on someone cornered etc.

I could make a joke about Jews and money but I'll refrain. Instead I'm just gonna point out that a bullet proof backpack is just impractical compared to other alternatives like armed security guards, or even locked doors.

QuestionMark wrote:

I'm just gonna point out that a bullet proof backpack is just impractical compared to other alternatives like armed security guards, or even locked doors.

True.

Or schools could, you know, get help for a kid that cried out for help as much as Cruz did instead of kicking him out.

W.A.R. wrote:

Or schools could, you know, get help for a kid that cried out for help as much as Cruz did instead of kicking him out.

Good point.

W.A.R. wrote:

Or schools could, you know, get help for a kid that cried out for help as much as Cruz did instead of kicking him out.

What did Cruz do to get kicked out ?

So with 500$ you couldn't survive the Parkland shooting, but how foolish it was of you, you had to buy the 700$ upgraded version!

Maybe they could try to create bulletproof straps so that they protect vital parts. Otherwise it could only work if you are running away and the shooter is behind you. And what if you are shot from above and the bullet cannot properly leave the body and create more damage? But I guess they thought about everything.

Sometimes the smallest things can save your life:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

W.A.R. wrote:

Or schools could, you know, get help for a kid that cried out for help as much as Cruz did instead of kicking him out.

I'm starting to wonder if people didn't see Cruz as a delinquent instead of a teenager with mental health issues. That could explain why people were so punitive toward him and didn't want to help (even if they should have done something because he was dangerous).

Neah wrote:

I'm starting to wonder if people didn't see Cruz as a delinquent instead of a teenager with mental health issues. That could explain why people were so punitive toward him and didn't want to help (even if they should have done something because he was dangerous).

I think it may have been a mix of the two. Especially during his younger years. Although as he got older it's clear Cruz had some mental issues going on that were only snowballing.