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Terrified Mom Gets Her Kids Bulletproof-Ready Backpacks

(CBS CHICAGO) – In the face of what seems like endless school violence, one mother felt like she had to do something to protect her kids.

And she's not alone, CBS 2's Brad Edwards reports.

It's Friday night at The Bunker Military Surplus Store in south suburban Lansing.

"We got a call today from a mother asking aout a bullet-proof bag. What she meant was an assault bag you can place a plate inside of," says owner Richard Bolton, a retired Chicago police officer.

Tuffy Pack Bullet Proof Shield
Tuffy Packs, bulletproof inserts, are meant to make kids' backpacks resistant to handgun fire. (Tuffy Packs)

Latoya Woods, a mother of two children, said she was spurred by the latest school shooting, in Florida.

"It's too much," she says.

The backpacks The Bunker sells have zip-up compartments.

A company named Tuffy Packs makes bulletproof shields, which weigh about 1 pound and can be slipped into the compartments. The plates, sold online, go for about $120 each.

The material withstands most common pistol calibers, but would not stop a bullet fired from an assault rifle.

One recent product tester notes a stack of magazines might also achieve the same desired effect of withstanding the force of handgun bullets.

Woods, the concerned mother, said she felt compelled to act.

"I need to something. It's time," she says.

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