GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A gun shop owner in West Palm Beach, Florida says he's sold about 200 bulletproof backpack inserts in the past year.
Believe it or not, the new school year is starting Monday in Decatur County, Georgia, and just around the corner for many other school districts.
In Florida, the talk of children wearing bulletproof backpack inserts is gaining popularity but do they work?
The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office says these soft armor inserts may not be reliable.
"You have your soft armor and your hard armor. Soft armor is designed to trap and slow down pistol caliber," said Investigator Thomas Perkins, with GCSO Violent Crimes Unit. "The level 3 soft armor that is commonly sown to the back of backpacks or even level 2 soft armor will not stop a high-caliber rifle round."
According to Perkins, the U.S. National Institute of Justice Level 3 soft armor, which is commonly used for bulletproof backpacks would be effective against 45 millimeter handguns.
But it's ineffective against guns like the AR-15 used in the shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School earlier this year.
Only NIJ level 3 hard armor inserts, which cost around $120, can stop rounds from such weapons.
Another problem, Perkins believes, children would have to be trained how to shield themselves with their backpacks.
He thinks the padding would be difficult for children to use.
It's unrealistic, generally most of those level 3 and level 4 pound plates can weigh up upwards to 6 to 5 pounds if it's ceramic they can weigh even less. More expensive that's what you usually see for military grade or even SWAT team," said Perkins.
We reached out to the Gadsden, Leon and Wakulla County school districts.
Gadsden County School District Superintendent Roger Milton says they have not discussed the bookbags yet.
As for Leon and Wakulla counties, they have yet to respond back to us to see if they are aware of the products.
