School shootings have been an unfortunate pre-occurring theme in the news cycle and a very real danger for current students in the United States. This year alone, we’ve had just under two dozen shooting incidents in American high schools. Though the Parkland school shooting and the Sante Fe High School shooting, which resulted in the death of a Pakistani exchange student, might seem like sudden spikes in school shooting history (that we wish weren’t a part of history at all, tbh), school shootings have been afflicting the U.S. well before 2016. Lawmakers and activists alike have tried to come to some sort of preventative measures for school shootings, but now bulletproof school supplies could be an uncomfy mandatory purchase for students.
As back-to-school sales start to pop-up and retailers start to erect their school supply displays, parents are noticing some alarming additions to this year’s back-to-school aisles. According to CBS 12, some parents are adding bulletproof school supplies to their back-to-school necessities. These scary now-essential items range from bulletproof inserts, bulletproof shield and bulletproof backpacks.
Consumers have been sharing these new bulletproof school supplies with the rest of Twitterverse. One user tweeted a photo of a bulletproof backpack, which appears to be marketed in the back-to-school section of a department store.
So this is what back-to-school shopping has come to pic.twitter.com/iVEEf0Tazg
— September Downing (@SeptD) July 22, 2018
Whereas another user notes some equally shocking options for the bulletproof supplies: a bulletproof backpack insert.
In the wake of recent school shootings such as Parkland, gun shops are selling bulletproof inserts designed to fit inside a student’s backpack. @CBS12 pic.twitter.com/XICzeoNb8m
— Al Pefley (@AlPefley) July 19, 2018
Although these bulletproof supplies are optional additions to family back-to-school lists, bulletproof supplies seem to be on the rise for school systems throughout the country. NBC Washington adds that some schools are adding bulletproof shelters to their classrooms. Granted, these shelters can also dual as protection against natural disasters.
NBC Washington continues that one of the options, Shelter-in-Place, can also act as a protective measure against tornados, hurricanes and high-speed winds. However, this specific option can be even more fiscally costly, even in comparison to the expensive generic bulletproof shelter options.
The Shelter-in-Place bulletproof shelters can cost up to $20,000 per shelter, Business Insider reports. Though these multi-faceted shelters can protect students from unpredictable physical danger, they might not be a financial reality for a lot of public schools—especially since school campuses would need to place a shelter in every working classroom for these preventative shelters to be effective.
According to ABC 13 Eyewitness News, some companies have started to sell and distribute bulletproof doors for classroom usage. These bulletproof doors are a more affordable option for schools, as they typically range from $2,500 to $4,000, depending on the company and model. Yet, the bulletproof and bullet-resistant doors can still acquire a costly expenditure for public schools that already have limit budgets.
Regardless, this isn’t the first time that back-to-school kiosks have included bulletproof school supplies. Bulletproof school supplies, particularly bulletproof binders and backpacks, initially started to gain traction back in 2014, Teen Vogue reports.
While lawmakers have attempted various safety measures to prevent school shootings, from arming school administrators to adding school security guards to the payroll, it seems like bulletproof school supplies could be a frightening reality for back-to-school shoppers (and students).