The Latest In Classroom Protection: A Handheld Bulletproof Whiteboard

A gun would be more appropriate. Arm teachers or put armed gaurds in schools, get rid of gun-free zones that invite crazies to do terrible things.

While there a few plastic type weapons out there, the majority are mostly metal. Hence put metal\weapons detectors at the entry door and force the person who enters the school to check in too, trapped in a foyer, prior to being allowed further entry!

All others who belong on the school grounds will be issued an ID badge to enter a pin code and then swipe prior to entry into the school. These people too, will need to pass the metal detector. They can entery one person at a time by a full size turn style, which are commonly manufactored. All this technology is all ready available.

Oh, for the pin code number, do not use all or part of your social security number; in many cases this legal wrong and or should not be encouraged.

Welcome to military zone elementry school entry.

What a strange sad world we are becoming for the need to protect our babies..... sad sigh.

Does anyone else think it's incredibly sad for humanity that we even need to think of something like this? Bullet proof whiteboards, bullet proof backpacks? And why is "more gun's always the answer with you Americans?

I gotta tell you, i'm a proud Canadian and this is just one of many reasons why i'm so proud of my country. Apart from the fact that everyone and their grandmother is not carrying a side arm over here, and apart from the fact that we take a second to hold the door for someone, or stand in line for things without trampling people.. apart from those things.. I'm incredibly proud to say i would most likely never read of such things if it weren't for American news.

Oh.. and yes.. i feel perfectly safe in Canada with the knowledge that i don't own a gun "to protect myself". When will you folks learn that this false sense of security in gun ownership simply creates the type of environment where everyone is walking around with hair pin triggers.. just waiting to off someone who looks at them funny. The thing you folks are scared of the most is you own dammed selves! Your country is based on fear mongering as a means of control. Wake up people!

femoral artery looks exposed, you will bleed out in 2 minutes, running away is a much better option

@dameatman

It is in our blood and the foundation of our nation. Complete liberty means that you have the right to protect your life with lethal force if 100% necessary. Our nation was formed by guerilla fighters oppressed by a much more powerful nation and to make sure that our government is never more powerful than the people, we must ensure that our liberties are maintained. It is a cultural thing and honestly, I don't expect you to understand or empathize.

@ dameatman

Are you kidding me? Honestly I think I'd rather be a fear monger than a bigot. I do plenty of business in Canada, and believe me you have your own set of problems as well. Also, for some reason don't I recall 2005 being the 'Year of the Gun' in the GTA? BECAUSE of gun related crime making 88% of all murders?? And if you don't believe that most Canadians are the 'gun toting' kind of folks just go outside the city a ways without an orange vest on - I've never seen people with so many guns as I have on visits to some of the more outlying areas of central and western Canada.

But let's not overlook the elephant in the room - Canada's population is ONE TENTH that of the United States. Trying to compare policy and social problems between our two countries is basically the equivalent of the state of Vermont comparing itself to the whole of Canada. Not exactly equivalent, or fair.

Look Meatman, most of the Canadians that I've had the pleasure of meeting or doing business with are some of the nicest people in the world - on the whole much nicer than the folks here in Connecticut where I currently reside. But let me tell you this - I moved here from TX... Where everyone had a gun but managed to hold doors for people AND not shoot each other. Difference is, while I was down there (or here for that matter) it would never cross my mind to log onto the 'Maple Leaf Times' and go on a tirade about how rude and arrogant Canadians are because I consistently have bad experiences with Quebecois - It's just not fair.

If your country is the saving grace of the world (which I don't believe either in principle or experience) then why don't you spend some time making a positive difference instead of logging onto a science website and spewing hate??

All I can say is I'm glad I've never run into you while up in the great white north... It wouldn't be a gun you'd take issue with - I don't carry one.

@dameatman

And of course Canadians don't make broad generalizations about an entire country of people based on sensationalistic media coverage.

So, we either arm our teachers, put armed guards at schools, or turn schools into high security prisons? I say the first two. It's sad, but the best way to defend against an armed person is to be more heavily armed. Outlawing weapons is so foolish. I know outlawing drugs sure keeps them off the streets! OutLAWing only applies to people who abide by the LAW. If a dude wants to shoot up a school, I bet he's gonna speed as he drives there. Also, I heard the Sandy Hook shooter left the assault rifle in his trunk and only used handguns. Which makes it crystal clear as to why they're trying to ban assault weapons. Yeah. Right.

Let me see here... jbsmshasta, you said that Canada's population is one tenth that of U.S, and thus, one should not try to compare the two countries. Hmmm... based on that, the solution to the U.S's gun issues would be to eliminate 90% of the U.S population. Sorry if I'm being a **** and purposely misrepresenting you by using a quote taken out of context, but I just like making dark, sadistic comments.
The thing is, Canada is the closest cultural equivalent of the U.S (in the European countries, Canadians are constantly being mistaken for Americans). Thus, Canada is closest benchmark we have for a gun-free version of the U.S.A. For some reasons, however, Americans prefer to use the U.K as their measuring rod for gun-free scenarios instead. I am not trying to start an argument, but I ask: Why? This is a completely genuine question. Why do you use Britain as a comparison instead of Canada?

@critical_mach
Another detail usually left out is that the first victim, the principal of the school, directly approached the shooter to try and defend herself and protect her students. Especially in an elementary school full of defenseless children, that one responsible adult could have completely stopped the tragedy with proper training and equipment.

You can't help but laugh at bullet proof backpacks and white boards.

I agree that Canada is probably culturally one of the closest benchmarks to compare the US with.

It always makes me laugh when gun proponents try to blame the violence in the US on violent movies and video games. Canadians play all of the same games, and watch all of the same movies and TV shows. They don't have nearly 1/10th of the gun violence (to correspond to the population being 1/10th).

I'd say that's a pretty good control to rule out violent games and media as a major culprit. (I'm not saying it plays no role, but clearly it can't be the main one).

my roomate's mother makes $79 every hour on the internet. She has been out of a job for 5 months but last month her check was $21010 just working on the internet for a few hours. Read more on this site Great70.com

@critical_mach
"the best way to defend against an armed person is to be more heavily armed"

I can't belive there are people this stupid, i really can't.

Seriously, this "Handheld Bulletproof Whiteboard" may save you behind the board, but in reality, MAD men and BAD guys can be intelligent too. It is just a simple matter of shooting around the board. Then the victim falls and the shooting continues.

I do not see how this device is helpful in a practical sense.

@dameatman

There hasn't been any evidence at all that gun laws reduces overall violence per capita.

The only stats ever quoted are ones that gun violence goes down.

The issue isn't the tools used to be violent. The issue is the depravity of people to use violence inappropriately at all.

Guns aren't the issue any more than cars are the issue in drunk driving accidents. Let people keep their guns, let people defend themselves with their guns.

@dameatman
I;m going to pile on the hate here. Look its societal difference. To all who say Canada is the closest to American in culture, you may be right but its still qutie a difference. its like say chimpanzes are the closes relation in the animal kingdom, but they are still qqutie different than humans. As AnonymousAce92 said its in our blood and heritage. We had bloody past, a past we had to fight for. And we have had to use weapons to correct issues in our gov. even after the revolutionary war. Look up the Battle of Athen in Tennesse. Anybody who says that civilised countries no longer need weapons to defend themselves from tyrannical gov. i ask them how civilised 1930's Germany was? Does the US have issues? Yes! Are guns one of them? hell no! Are "violent video games and movies" the problem? An even larger hell no! I honestly believe its improper parenting and a failure of our mental health care in the US. For the country that was essentialy the birth nation of modern mental health, we are failing badly. And as for parents.....you need to look no farther than Newtown. Sorry but that women should have voluntarily turned her guns into the police. She shouldn't have trained her son how to use them. She knew he was violent, and dangerous. She never locked them up properly against him. /endrant/

The GODS taught humans to make weapons. Society has been down hill since in terms of violence...... sad sigh.

Sweep the legs.

---
In space, no one can hear a tree fall in the forest.

If the white-board could double as an omni-directional death ray, this would be more effective than a shield. Simply point the board in the direction of your foo and melt their face off. :)

---
In space, no one can hear a tree fall in the forest.

A few things here, a bullet proof white board, sweet mother of mercy, how disturbing is this? I understand the reality factor here, however, what message is being sent to parents, students, teachers? I understand there are a lot of "crazy" gadgets out there that will change our lives, somehow I don't think the bulletproof white board is that one for me. No one said they will be issued to schools, they are available, just like the amphibious car, jet packs, pager-gun, hovercrafts, mini helicopters, bulletproof vests, slap-chop, chia pets, etc... We need another solution, however I don't have it. I applaud the fact that as Americans we still have the freedom to share our opinions for discussion. I just hope that we can keep our children safe.

@ Mukuro Holmes

The only reason Canadians are assumed to be Americans are because we look and sound alike... has nothing to do with our culture - I think it'd be tough for Mexican or South American travelers to be confused for us. Sounds like an American, looks like and American, must be an American... and honestly at the end of the day I don't think anyone in Europe thinks of Canucks when they think of world travelers.

Our English cousins may sound a little different than we do, but at most basic level we're about as similar as two cultures can be. Why do you think that after a bloody and embarrassing (for the English anyway) war we're two of the World's closest allies? A bunch of farm boys drove out the most powerful Empire at the time... and yet somehow (through our similarities actually) we've become the closest thing that two superpowers can be to 'friends'. This is not a coincidence.

GMarsack,
This could really change the out come of a food fight in a class room if everyone reaches for their white=board omini-directional death ray, YIKES!

@badbot
"I can't belive there are people this stupid, i really can't."

At leaast in cases similar to the Sandy Hook Incident, the criminal either shot themselves or was shot by a police officer with a larger gun. What is so "stupid" about the original statement?

Ok. First, to our Canadian friends. On this world, there has been one thing proven time and again. Nations of people always die. Maybe you haven't noticed, but America isn't protecting anyone but the rich these days. It's on the people to protect themselves, in EVERY way. From our out of control government as well. Maybe you've heard the saying 'when you need a cop, they are only minutes away?
Taking a RIGHT away from hundreds of millions of people that DON'T commit crimes on the OFF CHANCE that a nutball, who likely has no gun rights anyway; can't make something MORE EFFECTIVE AT MURDER than a gun? Get Real. Ever heard of bombs? Arson? Gas attacks? Poisons? Even in this dark time, those of us living here know very well that there are much worse ways to die than by gunshot. And taking ALL rights from ALL the populace won't change it. Keeping ALL the populace in their homes won't stop it. THINK about it. People do murder in high security prisons and on the wards of the criminally insane all over the world. They ain't got guns. They ain't got Rights. They still do murder. Some do quite a few.

On Topic: This shield looks distinctly unwieldy to me. I'm not just the ordinary citizen when it comes to having to react in a hairy situation like this. I've had to intervene nutballs a few times, and have dealt with people armed with guns. So where does this shield get stored? 3 thousand years ago, the Spartans realized that shield technology needed an upgrade. It's part of what made them the top tier of hoplite troops. Apparently those basic design advances aren't included in these 'shields' that WILL cost thousands of dollars each. Stuff like being able to use the damn thing one-handed in a Children In Danger gun scenario. A teacher with both hands on those SLOW OPERATION type handles that spin and wind up also has no free hand to shove kids out of the way. How about a fast one-arm shield with solid handles like someone with common sense would make? How much reaction time do these people think a teacher is gonna get? Also. This has no rim on the outside to limit shrapnel spray from bullet impacts, which ADDS to the problem just like the idiot designed handles. As described here, this thing is one of those products I'd DARE someone to try to defend against ME with, let alone a nutball intent on murdering kids with guns in a school.

On reconsideration, the idea of a shield has the great benefit of being in use by our law enforcement personnel, so there is publicly developed training for their use. That leads back to one of my points about this rimless design. People do insane things when trying to get away from something like this. The rim should be wider than an adult hand so a kid can't pull it or direct it's deflection angle over the strength of an adult . The kids just want to get away, but the teacher's job with a shield would be to close the distance on the shooter, at near-run speed if possible. A good rim would make beating the shooter down a lot easier, maybe breaking hands or elbows, while helping to contain further gunshots to the shooters' own body.

Uh, yeah. Those handles aren't loose fabric handles like I first thought, but they still suck, and also prevent one-arm use.

Great idea, why not. I think all tools, defensive and offensive, should be used. A well-crafted plan, with continuing education in a variety of systems, with a nice array of tools that can be chosen as the instant situation requires is what all schools should be using as of a long time ago. No one tool is perfect, and no one tool should be relied on. But a combination, used by a thinking, trained good guy is exactly what would work a heckuva lot better than what we've done so far. When we harden our schools, install armed guardians or arm the willing guardians, people who want to use maximum fire power on the most tender of targets so they get as many casualties possible as quickly as possible, with no resistance, will pick different targets. If making a shooter pick anything but a school will save even ONE child's life, wouldn't that be worth it? Plus, no Constitutionally protected rights would be jeopardized, but rather, would be strengthened. And that will save many, many more than just one child's life. And frankly, it's just plain smart.

I meant to add.. every time we ridicule a new idea, something that is designed to help, we discourage people from continuing to try to come up with more good ideas. Clearly, this is meant for people who are too squeemish to wield a gun even in self-defense or in defense of children.

until I saw the paycheck four $6712, I did not believe that my sister woz actually making money in there spare time from their computer.. there neighbour had bean doing this 4 only 23 months and resantly cleard the dept on there mini mansion and bought a brand new Cadillac. this is where I went....
________
BIT40.ℂOM
________

dameatman is one of the only ones with sense . (i am also canadian) It's terribly sad. Heres an idea, rifles and shotguns only. (for hunting) Perfect for defending against you government too. (oh wait your government is the most heavily militarized and heavily armed in the world, doesn't matter how many guns you have, plus the drones negate any defense a gun would give)

Having a right, also means a responsibility.

America was not formed by guerrilla fighters, thats completely false.
jbmshasta posting online threats? really ? people wonder why texas gets a bad rap.. (canada also has a much lower murder rate per capita, and most guns that are used to kill canadians come in illegally from the states)

Canadians may share some culture, but we do not share a culture of guns, and americans are globally reviled, when we are mistaken for americans abroad, people mistreat us. When they realize the truth, we are spoiled, because we are a better behaved country. (sorry to generalize, some americans give the 99 percent a bad name)

Badbot is right, and bagpipes is dead wrong. (check gun law in japan) really , if you are going to make statements , at least back them up with some disinformation.

Ianredneck? really? how does that make sense, comparing 1930 germany to the us is unbelievable. Perhaps you should lobby for the right to drive assault vehicles? or for the right to armed drones? friggin idiotic warmonger escalation mentality, war makes more war. Arming yourself against the champion of democracy ( i love the USA) is paranoid and insane. Last i checked the mental health system in the US was based off of Freud (the "father of modern psychiatry") who among other things was a coke addict, a pedophile and a constant plagarist of Carl Jung. I don't take financial advice from a broke man, why would i listen to freud? I might as well listen to a chimp. Blaming the parents is not a solution. Societies ills are shared, and transmit like the flu. Posting viral words exacerbates the problem.

Heres a solution that works, put bulletproof glass on the windows and doors, and have only one entrance with a buzzer. (unebelievably sad)

in order to thank everyone, characteristic, novel style, varieties, low price and good quality, and the low sale price. Thank everyone
http://gg.gg/11qu

http://al.ly/AvJ

http://al.ly/AvJ

http://al.ly/AvJ

│＼＿╭╭╭╭╭＿／│ 　
　│　　　　　　　　　│＼｜／ 　
　│　●　　　　　●　│—☆— 　
　│○　╰┬┬┬╯　○│／｜＼ 　
　│　　　╰—╯　　　／ 　
　╰—┬○————┬○╯ 　
　　╭│　　　　　│╮ 　
　　╰┴—————┴╯ sdfght

Elementary school should immediately consist of assault and defense weaponry..... NOT!

...................................

Let’s just keep the bad guys from entering the school in the first place with weapons and let the babies and children play and grow natural.

@Dkella

Japan is an excellent example of the effectiveness of a de facto abolishment of civilian firearms ownership, but is not necessarily a good analogue for 'gun control' as commonly outlined in the context of the United States. I would be cautious waving that example, as it implies a decimation of the Second Amendment as it is today; something even proponents of gun control in American politics are very careful to avoid.

Proponents of gun control in America often outline the preservation of ownership of firearms such as revolvers, shotguns, and rifles, preserving (in their view) the Second Amendment rights of citizens. In japan, handguns are completely banned and licensing for shotguns and rifles are so onerous and expensive that ownership of these firearms is outside the means of most all citizens. This difference alone invalidates the application of Japanese gun policy to the United States; there is a considerable difference in comparing firearm related crime statistics between a country with effectively zero presence of civilian firearms, and one with limits on ownership of some firearms but a massive presence of civilian firearms.

In the context of Japanese gun control policy, I have no doubt that the banning and confiscation of firearms would nearly eliminate firearm related homicides in the United States. The current pervasiveness of both criminal and lawful firearms ownership in America make this an impracticable policy; regardless, this is not the policy being proposed by gun control proponents. Ownership of hundreds of millions of handguns, shotguns, and rifles would be preserved under any of the currently proposed policies. This significantly changes the premises by which Japanese firearm policy and its efficacy is based.

I would ask you to consider the following when you evaluate how effective gun control will be in addressing the problem of gun violence in America: ~95% of gun homicides in the United States are single victim homicides. ~70% of all gun homicides are committed with handguns.

As I've heard said in this debate many times, "You don't need 30 rounds to defend yourself" - I believe that the same would also true of single/double victim gun homicides. Under even the most draconian policies being (publicly) discussed by legislatures handguns would remain available, with 7-10 round capacity. This will not impact the capability of legal firearms to commit the exact same violence we currently face.

Citation for 95% single victim statistic:
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf
Page 24, table 12 provides single-victim percentage for general homicide which is ~96%. Page 25, figure 39 is helpful to calculate the single-victim percentage for only gun homicides, which is slightly lower at 95.5% (by my calculation).

Citation for 70% handgun statistic:
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/expanded_information/data/shrtable_08.html

I had a similar thought afterwards. Bulletproof backpacks and stuff. You could sell them for a fortune to masses of frantic parents. But I guess I would rather not hate myself than capitalize on the fear we all can't seem to live without these days.

This idea is as flawed as arming teachers.

The time it takes to remove your gun from its holster and shoot the assailant significantly less time for the assailant to target the adult first and take them out. Just as grabbing a bullet proof white board would be even more time. Without the "Oh crap I need to get to cover" factor for the assailant as you're not shooting at him.

It's be far more effective to make classroom doors metallic with bulletproof windows on them. And a magnetic lock on the door preventing it being opened in emergency situations.

Mixed with relatively cheap ladders for windows you could effectively have the assailant trapped inside the school waiting to be taken out by police.

At the very worst you would have one class room fall victim instead of the whole school (if the assailant was inside the room when the doors were shut and locked.)

meant significantly more then the time it takes for the assailant to shoot you... Derp.

Thanks for the brilliantly reasoned comment iambronco. I am completely for practical solutions, and japan doesn't have much for hunting enthusiasts. Canadians have a large amount of hunting guns, but very little to speak of for handguns and the rest. While the tremendous burden on gun owners in japan means virtually no homicides, it does infringe on personal freedom. But where personal freedoms have been eroded for the sake of the greater good , it seems to benefit the most vulnerable. All countries have their pros and cons, and while i abhor the japanese whaling, their gun laws make sense to me. Hunting for meat, as opposed to sport, should be supported. People have become so disconnected from reality it becomes easy to take one side or another and ignore the middle ground.

More silliness from the psuedo-tech industry.

Know what would help? How about better real security, like adequate window locks and entry alarms that stay on during the school day? Monitored camera systems on the outside of the school so you see the armed and armored crazy coming, and then lock them out? Or any other practical, sensible solution that is focused on actual security?

Wow