Parents have a new item to add to their kids’ back-to-school supplies list: the bulletproof backpack.
Just in time for the new academic year, Massachusetts-based MJ Safety Solutions has unveiled My Child’s Pack, described on the company’s website as the first “full size, lightweight ballistic protection backpack that is affordable and practical.”
The response has been overwhelming.
“We were pretty sure that parents would take to this,” said co-founder, Mike Pelonzi, but the incredible demand for the product has caught everyone there off guard. Orders for the $175 US bags have been pouring in online and the one store in Pelonzi’s hometown of Danvers, Mass. carrying the packs has been sold out since day one.
My Child’s Pack has been years the making, says Pelonzi, who came up with the concept along with co-founder Joe Curran. Both are firearms instructors and have children they intend to keep safe.
“In 1999, after the Columbine incident, myself and my friend Joe wondered if there was anything out there to protect our kids in a school environment.”
The pair did their research and three years ago began to develop the bulletproof backpack in earnest.
The adult-size bag comes in two styles and contains a 20 oz. ballistic panel similar to those worn by the police and military. It can be worn on the back for protection or held in front of the torso and head as a shield. (Due to a flood of requests, production of a smaller size pack suitable for elementary school children, is also being considered.)
Presently, MJ Safety Solutions is only shipping within the United States, but they have lawyers looking into the intricacies of Canadian distribution. There are certain laws, says Pelonzi, regarding the shipment of ballistic materials across the border, but they are hopeful that within two weeks the customs red tape will be cleared.
