Tom Nardone recently conducted a crowd funding campaign that was so successful that the requested funding was met in just over two weeks, with 28 days left before the promotion was scheduled to end.
While the video that introduced the campaign is not very good, the lighting is poor and it is obvious that the people are not actors, the idea that it presented is quite awesome, which is probably why it has done so well. Nardone is the president of BulletSafe, a maker of bulletproof vests, and the product he introduced was bulletproof panels that fit inside of backpacks.
The panels are 10 inches by 12 inches, and weighs only 1.25 pounds. They are made of the same materials the company uses in its bulletproof vests, and are rated to stop all handgun rounds up to .44 Mag.
While the chances of ever being needed are quite small, a bulletproof panel in a kid’s backpack is a great idea. Nardone originally built the panels for his own kids, before realizing that other parents just might want these as well, and they are available for less than $100.
In addition to individual, Nardone has already received orders from stores that have had customers come in asking for this very type of product. Some comments on the campaign, though, have been less than complimentary, stating that kids have a higher chance of drowning than being attacked, which is absolutely true. In fact, kids have a higher chance of being hurt playing any sport, even golf, than from a firearm, thanks in no small part to the numerous safety campaigns of NRA, such as Eddie Eagle. That doesn’t, however, change the ingenious of this idea. Parents purchase all manners of equipment to keep kids safe-gates, monitors, socket plugs-so why shouldn’t we consider an item that could protect them in the unlikely event of an attack.