Manufacturers say sales increased 800%.
QUICK FACTS:
- Sales of bulletproof backpacks have skyrocketed following the Uvalde, Texas school shooting.
- Manufacturers are struggling to keep up with demand for the packs that cost as much as $400.
- Leatherback Gear CEO and founder told said his company Leatherback Gear saw an 800% increase in sales.
- The company Tuffypacks saw a 300% spike in sales of its armored bag inserts, which can be placed inside any retail backpack.
- A spokesperson for MC Armor said in a recent interview that 20% of its web visits and calls the days following the shooting were for their armor inserts.
MANUFACTURERS’ RESPONSE TO THE SHOOTING:
- “We are always making awareness of the training and security for schools but sadly it is just at a moment of a tragedy that they look for it,” MC Armor marketing manager Carolina Ballesteros said.
- A Leatherback Instagram post last week said that shootings are something “that is very much a threat to our children” that needs to be taken seriously. “Just as we educate and prepare our children in school for what to do in the event of a fire, we now must do the same for an active shooter,” the post said. “We have fire extinguishers for fires, and now bulletproof backpacks. Whatever it takes to help keep our children safe against the current threat is worth it as these children are our future.”
- Atomic Defense on Monday listed on its Facebook page a weekly deal for 10% off a bulletproof backpack advertised as lightweight and able to stop “AR-15 & AK-47 School Shooters.”
BACKGROUND:
- The Department of Justice is currently investigating the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that killed 19 children and two teachers on May 24.
- “This is not a criminal investigation,” Garland told reporters when asked if charges could possibly be brought against officers, who waited for most of an hour to finally take out shooter Salvador Ramos.
- “This is an after-action critical incident review, which we have done in the past, which we did in San Bernardino, which was done in the Pulse nightclub (shooting),” Garland added. “This is not a criminal review.”
