First it was armored backpacks and bulletproof children's clothing, now it's bulletproof whiteboards that can be used as shields in the event of a school shooting.
Just last week Hardwire LLC, a Maryland-based armor company that has sold ballistic protection technology to the U.S. military for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, started selling a dry erase board that can stop gunfire.
(SCROLL DOWN TO SEE PHOTOS OF THE BULLETPROOF WHITEBOARDS)
The bulletproof whiteboards were designed to blend into the school environment, Hardwire's CEO George Tunis told The Huffington Post over the phone Friday morning.
Tunis's children, ages 12 and 14, gave him the idea for the white boards after the tragic December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, he told The Huffington Post.
"They were like, 'Dad, you own an armor company and we can do something about this!'" Tunis explained. "So the idea was as much theirs as it was mine."
Tunis emphasized that each school should follow its own procedure during a potential crisis, but said the bulletproof whiteboards are a good last line of defense against a shooter, adding that if necessary, teachers using the boards as shields could encircle students to defend against bullets.
The whiteboards are made from a material called Dyneema, a polyethylene fiber often used in bulletproof vests and in military vehicles. The boards are a quarter-inch thick, Tunis said, and have three handles on the back for teachers to hold while teaching or while shielding gunfire.
Hardwire's website explains that the whiteboards are designed to stop and absorb bullets, preventing ricochet. A video on the company's YouTube page shows the whiteboards in action.
Currently Hardwire sells two sizes of bulletproof whiteboard. The larger size, designed to protect the head and torso, weighs under four pounds and costs $299, according to Hardwire's website. The smaller size, recommended for "playground, field, parking lot, or bus duty use," weighs one pound, is 10 by 13 inches, and costs $109.
How to use the bulletproof whiteboard as a shield:
Hardwire's bulletproof clipboard weighs one pound and costs $109.
(h/t NY Daily News)