^ Yup, that was when "backpack armor" or "armored backpacks" *
really* came into vogue. Suddenly, every Soccer-Mom and Hockey-Dad was ordering one for their school-age child.
I found it sad in more than one way, but mainly, I was disappointed at those who marketed the item in this manner. Specifically, I was mad that they took advantage of what went on in the world at the time, and also in that it was a cheap psychological trick: that we parents ( my daughter is still in the pre-K-to-12 stage of her life
), with this one purchase, could potentially help gain some control over events which we had absolutely no control over.
Why was I so mad?
Because before purchasing one of these for my daughter, I asked myself as well as my daughter a few questions: questions -and answers to- which I think are perhaps best explained in the following article by AT Armor -
AT Armor is your source for tactical gear in the US. We are a US Army veteran-owned small business that that offers only the best kit available for professional use.
store.atarmor.com
That said, if your child attended school, walked/biked/skated there-and-home through, or rode public transportation through riskier areas, a lightweight, flexible Lvl-IIIA panel really may well turn the tide, particularly as the child's book bag is likely to contain at least one textbook or the like, plus, these days, likely also a materials-dense piece of consumer electronics in the form of a laptop, notebook, or tablet. Understand that in these cases, it's less the typically now more well-equipped school/mass-shooter that you're looking to protect your child against, but rather the potential need to survive/prevail through more common street-crimes/interpersonal violence that often has a way of spilling over onto the innocents nearby.
While all of these were among the reasons why I did not invest in backpack armor for my child (
and you have to remember, when she said that she was ready to start shooting, I spent over $1K just to update my [our] PPE), my main reason was because when I talked with her, I came to understand how her daily activities in school actually placed her book bag out of her reach at all but a few points through the day.
Instead of making a purchase to make *me* feel better, I invested the time to talk to her about what to do in case there was ever a threat (not just shooter) at school. To learn what her teachers have taught her, and to get "AARs" from her about her performance during such drills. For example, for one drill years ago, her and a classmate were caught-out in the lavatory. Knowing that the hallways would be deserted and the classroom doors locked, they decided that their best-chance option was to shelter-in-place. However, since the lavatory's outer door lacked a lock, my daughter (the taller of the two by a significant margin) sat with her back to the door and used her legs to brace against the opposing stall, and her friend hid in another closed stall, with her feet out-of-sight by standing on top of the toilet seat. Their reasoning was that if the door did not readily open, maybe the threat would just give it a pass - and failing that, should the threat force entry, at least the second child would have a better chance at survival by simply being out of immediate sightlines.
I praised my daughter and her friend for their quick thinking, but also took the time to reassess with my daughter whether if her decision in-particular could have been improved - to remind her of the difference between cover and concealment, and to propose to her perhaps had the threat decided to shoot at the door, that maybe she stood a better chance at survival if her feet were instead used to brace the door, versus her torso.
Instead of buying something for my child to make me feel better, I decided to -hopefully- make
HER better.
Sure, if she had access to her bag all day and maybe if she only used electronic texts (and thus wasn't already weighed-down by a math text plus a science text, plus a history text plus
The Odyssey), I might weigh this decision a bit differently... But as it stood then and as it stands, now, I am glad that an armor vendor who is as highly regarded as AT Armor came forward to help refocus the conversation.
www.leatherbackgear.com
