© Jessica Rinaldi / Reuters/Reuters
Amanda Curran, the 18-year-old daughter of BulletBlocker inventor Joe Curran, demonstrates how use a bulletproof backpack outside the family's Massachusetts home on Wednesday.
Sales of bulletproof backpacks for schoolchildren are through the roof days after a masked gunman's rampage left 20 kids dead at a Connecticut elementary school.
Parents began snapping up the high-tech bookbags Friday, the same day of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, Elmar Uy of the Massachusetts-based armor company BulletBlocker told the Daily News.
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In fact, the sudden spike in sales is how Uy, vice president of business operations, found out about the shooting.
"Part of my daily activity is to monitor the numbers," he said. "I was seeing numbers I'd never seen before and I thought it was a glitch. Our Web traffic was10 times more than normal.
"I turned on the TV and there it was on CNN."
BulletBlocker's child safety backpack is on sale for $ 199.99.
They also sell shields that start at $ 175 â€" bulletproof inserts that can slide into backpacks, laptop bags or purses. They add about 20 ounces â€" it's just like tossing a bottle of water in your bag, Uy said.
The company has seen a 300% to 400% increase in sales since the tragedy.
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Most sales are to civilians, and while Uy offers a discount to law enforcement, the officers are usually just calling because they want protection for their kids.
He's received several calls from federal agents since Friday, he said.
The idea for BulletBlocker was sparked after the 1999 Columbine shootings. Creator Joe Curran wanted something to protect his school-age children.
“Then he started sharing them with friends who had kids,†Uy said. “Our company is basically built around a single child’s backpack.â€
Combat apparel company Amendment II, based in Utah, says their sales have also skyrocketed â€" at least 500% since Friday.
"(Bulletproof backpacks) were kind of a niche product before that shooting," co-owner and sales director Derek Williams told the Daily News.
"When we're selling a few a week, it doesn't take many to increase your sales," he said. "But yesterday we had over 200 requests for products."
Most were for bulletproof backpacks or backpack shields.
Amendment II uses a high-tech material called RynoHide, like Kevlar but super-light and flexible. They mostly sell to police and military, but started making products for civilians six months ago when they noticed an interest at trade shows.
"Parents were saying, hey I want one of these for my kid, can you get me this?" Williams said.
But he never thought interest would grow this big.
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