Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Oklahoma company is now offering bulletproof blankets to protect schoolchildren from future massacres. Apparently keeping guns out of the hands of crazy people is not logical enough.

Courtesy of RT:  

Nervous about the rash of school shootings that have taken place over the past decade, an Oklahoma company has launched a new product that, with a lack of effective gun control laws, promises to protect schoolchildren will bulletproof blankets. 

The Bodyguard Blanket, designed and manufactured by ProTecht, is advertised as a 5/16-inch thick bulletproof rectangle that students can wear over their back in the event of a tragedy at school. The product comes adorned with a backpack straps and is reportedly able to protect against nails and shards of metal as well as bullets. 

ProTecht, which posted a video of a test blanket being shot with test gunfire, is made with the same material that makes up the body armor military and police officials rely on.

The company is trying to muddy the waters by suggesting that this will help in the case of earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes as well, but clearly that is not how they are going to market this.

No these assholes thought to themselves, "School shootings? What a great opportunity to make some money off of fear."

This is just like when we were children and believed that keeping our heads under the covers and our hands and feet tucked in would protect us from the monster that we just KNEW was hiding under our beds.

Only in that case there was no monster so it did not matter that our logic was flawed. 

But in this case there IS potentially a monster, and those mats will do NOTHING to keep those children safe. NOTHING!

I just took a moment to step outside and remind myself that I live in America. Because every day it is getting harder and harder to remind myself of that.

We are the country where downtrodden people from all over the world flock to escape the overbearing threat of violence, and to send their children to school confident that they will return safely.

THIS is the country where it is supposed to be safe to walk the streets.

Yes we have crime. Yes we have poverty. But goddamn it, we are supposed to be working to make all of that better, NOT allowing violence to creep into places that were once considered sacrosanct.

There are Right Wing terrorists hunting our police officers,  self styled sovereign citizens getting way with making threats against government employees doing their jobs, and mad men killing our babies in their classrooms.

And what ALL of these have in common is that they are made possible by people demanding that NOTHING must interfere with the 2nd Amendment as THEY interpret it.

Even if that means that children must cower under completely ineffectual mats, purchased from an opportunistic company, that you just KNOW is turning around and donating some of that money back to the NRA.

Because without guns there is no fear, and without fear they would be out of business. 

24 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:04 AM

    Capitalism at its worst. This country is becoming a joke.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Leland4:30 AM

    Hhhmmm. Seems to me that these ARE completely useless! I mean, think about what is shown in the picture.

    If WE can see a child from the side, so can the perp!

    STUPID!

    Now, having said that, it MIGHT be somewhat effective if it was a cup shaped blanket they could actually hide UNDER, but I doubt it. One shot would knock the child on his/her side, exposing them fully. (Bullets have a hefty kick to them, after all, and the effect would be almost amplified against a smaller, lighter target.)

    Having said that, I agree that the most effective way to drastically reduce this senseless violence is to STOP - or just drastically CUT - the flow of firearms - even if only to those with questionable mentalities.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:27 AM

      I dare the ceo of the company to demonstrate by sitting under one of these blankets and see if it really works.... also, I think we've lost sight of WHY all these shooting are happening. Maybe we should spend some time and brainpower to try to fix part of the problem at the source. Something is just not right in this country.

      We have no civil war going on, we aren't oppressed by a dictator, or being invaded by another country. Why do we have more violence perpetrated on our citizens (BY our citizens) than most other countries? We need to find out why.

      Delete
  3. Sally in MI4:33 AM

    Doesn't look the least bit safe to me. Look at all.the exposed body parts. I am truly disgusted that the RW has become agents for death in our country. The hate they exhibit toward their fellow citizens is bad enough. But to encourage each and every one of us to purchase more and deadlier weapons is inexcusable. When one of their kids shoots himself to death, maybe they will see the light. I'm betting not.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous5:06 AM

    I got into an argument with my favorite uncle yesterday over this very thing. 2nd Amendment trumps all....I am so sick of it. ALL of it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. When I called him in January, he answered, "Happy COON Day!" I wonder if he's got one of them there yellow flags....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:19 AM

      Not sure how a person with views such as his could be called your "favorite uncle". I've disassociated from members of my immediate family for much less, just sayin'.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous5:23 AM

    Where is Anonymous when you need them? It's time to shut down all the radio shows who are fanning the flames of violence and hatred. And shut down the NRA's website, and the websites that promote violence against police and government officials.

    If we keep going at this rate, I think gun violence will become something that happens daily, endangering every one of us, in every state, in every town.

    Unfortunately, there are gazillions of weapons already out there. And the owners are hoarding bullets. An angry word, an angry glance.......and out comes the gun. I can't believe how far this country has fallen. We don't need blankets. We need fewer guns!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why hasn't Anonymous exposed the Ankorage Police Dept? Does someone have to put in a request?

      Delete
  6. A. J. Billings5:52 AM

    This blanket is never going to save gun violence victims.

    It's a pure marketing ploy based on the fear parents and teachers have for keeping kids safe, with no chance of actually protecting the kids.

    Bottom line: convicted felons, anyone with a history of mental illness, and people with a history of violent crimes or threatening behavior should not have access to firearms, period.

    We already have a national database for buying handguns, and the NRA is not screaming about that, or restrictions on machine guns or grenade launchers.

    It is insanity to oppose mentally ill people from having guns!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leland6:56 AM

      "We already have a national database for buying handguns,..."

      Correction. We have a national data base for buying handguns FROM LICENSED DEALERS! (And the NRA raised bloody HELL when IT was proposed, too, but we had a different breed of politician then and besides, their hero Ronnie Raygun had been shot along with James Brady, for whom the Law was named.

      NO ex-con is going to go to a licensed dealer. No mentally incompetent or questionable person is going to go to a licensed dealer. They'll go to the gun shows and private individuals!

      Delete
  7. Anonymous6:34 AM

    You know every gun manufacturer is kicking itself that IT didn't think of this.

    ReplyDelete
  8. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=688769117827454&set=a.241007069270330.50975.240984512605919&type=1&theater

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous8:31 AM

    These Are The States Where Students Most Often Bring Weapons To School

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/10/school-safety-maps_n_5481285.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous8:32 AM

    All 74 School Shootings Since Newtown, In One Depressing Map

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/10/school-shootings-since-newtown-_n_5480811.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous11:21 AM

    Anchorage, AK has recently garnered the 5th position of cities in the USA w/horrible crime rates! It was announced on Channel 11 News a couple of nights ago. I immediately flipped to Channel 2 who is a biased network (Republican leaning!) and found they did not mention it on their 6 p.m. or 10 p.m. newscasts!

    Good job, Mayor Sullivan, who is currently running for a State of Alaska office (#2 job)! I say that in jest, of course! It is clear he does NOT deserve to be elected to the State office - he will NOT receive my vote!

    Liesl McGuire (Anchorage/Bayshore area) was running against him and recently backed out of the race (reason: ''wanting to spend more time w/her family members')! Was she offered something in exchange for doing this? Makes me very suspicious of her motive. (She serves in the Alaska Legislature currently.)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous12:17 PM

    No no no no no.

    This may placate some people, and make them think they are safe from a shooter, but need don't people remember Columbine, where they picked off the people hiding under desks and tables? This will do nothing.

    GET RID of the DA**** GUNS.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is terrifying in its implications. More states should model their gun and ammo regs on those of Hawaii.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous12:32 PM

    I didn't read all the comments, but it seems to me that even if the bullet didn't penetrate the body, it's still going to do a helluva lot of damage from blunt force trauma

    Tap

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous1:12 PM

    I am shocked. The NRA said the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. We are seeing American ingenuity at work here. The NRA has been proven wrong. We have clever American entrepreneurs proving that a gun is not the only answer. These blankets are just one great example of how to frustrate a bad guy. Others have marketed bulletproof child backpacks, inserts for other backpacks, bulletproof whiteboards, even a bulletproof cover for classroom doors for only $1400 each.

    You are all being ninnies when there should be optimism about our children's chances of surviving school. I would agree though that these half measures are inadequate. The solution is obvious. Our children love costumes and dressing up. Many school pictures show over half the students wearing cool camo clothing as reflection of our culture and superior way of life. So we are halfway there. The children would love to step it up and go to school in full swat-style armored clothing complete with the helmets, gloves, etc. And this would address the issue of girls showing up in slutty outfits as a side benefit.

    Gryphen, you need to stop despairing and learn to see the cup is half full. Just imagine the employment that will be created in the need for more workers to unload ships full of Bangladesh-made new school 'uniforms.'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Giving Beldar a run for his money, aren't you?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7:30 PM

      Is Beldar another patriot like me who see's opportunity in crisis? Seriously, who is Beldar? I don't know whether the be offended or complimented.

      Delete
  16. And such a cheery bright red color.

    Might as well go all the way and put a bull's eye on each one.

    BTW, if I had a gun I could shoot six of the children in that photo as that blanket isn't covering squat.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anita Winecooler5:28 PM

    No offense to any readers from Oklahoma, but first I read this link and scratched my head

    http://www.politicususa.com/2014/06/11/oklahoma-republican-believes-homosexuals-stoned-death.html

    Then I read this post and wondered "Just how STUPID do they think parents are? First, A school should be an environment to stimulate children's minds into learning, feeding their natural curiosity about the world around them with facts, and it should be a safe environment for them to thrive and grow. Killing Machines and Magic Carpets have no place in schools.

    And making money from the tragic loss of others is disgusting.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Randall6:11 PM

    That's the best we can do?
    THAT is the best we, as responsible adults and parents, can come up with?
    Teach our children how to hide under a bulletproof blanket?

    THAT'S IT?

    ReplyDelete

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