Eighth Graders Receive Bulletproof Shields Before Starting High School

The students attending St. Cornelius Catholic School in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania were given ballistic shields to place in their backpacks, as protection. The class of eight-graders graduating middle school have been given bulletproof shields as gifts to prepare them for potential mass shootings.

The manufacturer of the shields said they would be able to withhold shots fired from handguns or shotgun attacks, if a student is hit from behind. If the shield is placed in front of the student, it could protect the front of their body as well.

The students received these unique gifts from Unequal Technologies, a local sportswear company which carries the shields. The company’s CEO, Robert Vito, has a daughter who attends the school.

Vito reported to the press “It’s sad the times have called for such a product to be invented, but we have answered the call.” The bulletproof plates are 10 by 12 inches large, and a quarter-inch think, weighing about 1.19 lbs. Each one goes for $150.

This past February, seventeen students were shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — prompting hundreds of school walkouts across the country and national debates over US gun laws. There have been more than 20 school shooting in the US since 2018 began, the latest in Santa Fe, Texas, just last month. Our prayers are still with the victims, and their families.