Sales of bulletproof doors and windows have surged following the killing of 17 people at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. earlier this month.
Schools across the country are reportedly buying blast-resistant doors and locks as well as high-tech bulletproof glass as a way to help protect students and teachers from a similar mass shooting, reports USA Today.
Many are turning to defensive windows and doors from School Guard Glass that was founded after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 26. The glass company sold its product to just 50 schools in 2014, but that number has been slowly rising, with sales to around 400 schools last year.
The company has combined glass with a sophisticated lock and polymer that stops attackers’ bullets and also prevents them from breaching the door for long enough until police arrive.
“We stopped thinking about keeping out bullets. It’s more important to keep out people,” Christopher Kapiloff, one of the partners at School Guard Glass, told USA Today.
The product can be installed using a school’s existing window openings and doors, making it more affordable to school districts that may be unable to afford a full retrofitting.
A number of other companies are also working on keeping out shooters, including low-cost barricades that can be used to slow down an attacker from getting through a classroom door. Bulletproof backpacks have also seen a large increase in sales and have been sold out at most retailers following the shooting.
