School shootings, and the fear surrounding them, are on the rise. According to a report put out by Education Week, there have been 114 school shootings in the US alone since 2018. In 2022 alone, there have been 22 shootings, with the most recent shooting occurring on April 5th at a high school in Erie, Pennsylvania.
In response to this increased awareness and fear, many parents have taken protective measures to ensure the safety of their children. This can include training their children on gun safety, giving them defensive training—or, in the case of TikToker Rachel (@rachelrome99), outfitting their school supplies in bulletproof kevlar.
Yesterday, Rachel posted a video of a discovery she made in her school bag. While she thought her backpack just had an added pad for laptops, she later discovered that her father had put a sheet of bulletproof kevlar in her bag for added protection.
Rachel posted a video of this discovery to TikTok, where it quickly accumulated over 1.3 million views.
“Turns out my dad put Kevlar (bullet proof material) in it years ago and forgot,” she writes in the description. “Won’t catch me lackin.”
In comments, TikTokers were equally supportive of Rachel’s father’s care and dismayed by the fact that such an action was felt necessary.
“Instant sadness,” shared one commenter. “I love your dad did that for you. I’m sad he thought you may have needed it.”
“Tell me you’re from the US without telling me you’re from the US,” added another. Rachel agreed with this sentiment, in a later comment dubbing her bulletproofing “American school system 101.”
In 2019, CNBC reported on the growing popularity of bulletproof schoolwear. The report shared that, while there is a disagreement about the real-world effectiveness of bulletproof bags, as the bulletproofing used is often not strong enough to resist attacks from assault rifles, which have been used in several recent high-profile school shootings, many parents feel it is a necessity if solely for peace of mind.
“I’m not sure it would do much good, but I can see the marketing reason for it,” Jeff Scheidler, a St. Louis, Missouri resident told CNBC. His wife Heidi later added, “But will I feel like a bad parent without them for my kids?”
Fears of a school shooting are common among both parents and students alike. A 2018 YouGov survey released by the Children’s Defense Fund indicated that 33% of children between ages 6 and 17, and 36% of parents, report worrying about school shootings.
In comments, many told stories about their parents buying them bulletproof school gear in response to such fears.
“I thought my dad was the only one who did this,” wrote one user. “I’ve had a piece of Kevlar in my lunchbox since 6th grade.”
“My dad did this for me [too] and got me a ‘stylish’ bullet proof vest so I could wear it out and no one would know,” detailed another.
Other commenters shared that they did, or had plans to do, something similar for their own children.
“I thought I was [the] only dad doing this,” commented one user. “Now I don’t feel so crazy.”
“I have one in each of my kids backpacks… and [I’m] glad I do cause my daughters school has had threats,” a second explained.
“This is sad this is the reality but I am very grateful for the idea,” contributed a third. “I will add these to my kids backpacks!”
To many, this video was an indictment of American culture surrounding guns.
As one user wrote, “So sad they even have to think of that in [the] US.”
Rachel did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
Source: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/bulletproof-backpack-tiktok/