After a flux of shootings across the nation, parents are searching for ways to ensure their children’s protection as they walk out the door for school. A popular item selling out across the market: bullet-resistant backpacks.
“We’ve gotten a huge response on people wanting these because of the options that they provide for people,” said Robert Ralls, owner of Citadel Investigations and Security, a firm in Midland selling Guard Dog bullet-resistant backpacks.
Even children in school are opting in to the product. Charlie Pitner, a sixth grader, said he wants a ballistic sleeve he can insert into his backpack.
“You never know what can happen. I have a laptop part of my backpack but I don’t have a laptop, so I can just slide it in,” he said.
Ralls suggests finding a backpack with at least a ballistic protection rating of IIIA by the U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ). This rating means it stops .357 SIG and .44 Magnum ammunition fired from longer barrel handguns but provide no rifle ammunition protection, according to their website.
When the backpack was put to the test at Lone Star Shooting Range, it held up to the standards provided by the NIJ. The Guard Dog backpack ballistic panel withstood fire from a Gloc 19 9mm, 45 ACP 230-Grain Jacketed at Hallow Point, and a 240-Grain .44 Magnum, said Raymond Witham, a manager and law enforcement instructor at Lone Star Shooting Range.
Any damage seen in the video came from the repetitive shots taken by the backpack, causing the seam to rip, but it did not penetrate the ballistic panel, said Witham.
“When you talk about bullet resistance, nothing is bulletproof. If you put enough fire power on it, eventually it’s going to shoot to failure,” he noted.
However, when the backpack was shot with AR-556, a semi-automatic rifle, it penetrated straight through the ballistic panel. This result did not surprise Witham.
“Level IIIA is not designed to contain AR-556. You would need to go to level IV, which would require a ceramic plate, not Kevlar,” said Witham.
While both Witham and Ralls endorsed the durability of a bullet-resistant backpack, they agreed it’s only one safety measure among many that can be taken to be protected. Other safety measures they suggested for individuals included taking an active shooter course and always remaining vigilant.
The backpacks range from $100 to $400, with Citadel selling their product for $190.
‘It’s affordable. It doesn’t look like they are carrying something. It gives them just a little bit of piece of mind,” said Ralls.
If the backpack is not affordable, Witham suggested placing an unopened pack of printer paper in a backpack. While it is only a home remedy, he said it did stop most hand gun rounds when he tested it.
