8/18/2013

University of Maryland supplies professors with "bulletproof" 18 by 20 inch whiteboards to stop shootings


Do the proponents of these bulletproof whiteboards know how hard it will be to hold this board when it gets hit by a bullet?  Do the proponents realize how small these boards are?  Do you think that you will be able to hide behind a 18 by 20 inches board?  It helps that they have the board being held by a woman who is probably pretty physically small.


From the Baltimore Sun:

Calling "campus violence a reality" to prepare for, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore announced plans Thursday to spend $60,000 on the Clark Kent of teacher supplies: an innocuous-looking white board that can stop bullets.   
The high-tech tablet — which hangs on a hook, measures 18 by 20 inches and comes in pink, blue and green — can be used as a personal shield for professors under attack, according to the company that makes it, and a portable writing pad in quieter times. . . . .
There are so many problems with this policy.  For example, if you are holding one of these boards when it gets hit by a bullet, it is extremely likely that the board will be dropped or at least significantly moved.  If you are holding this board, your hands will also be significantly bruised.  People wearing bullet resistant vests will usually get knocked down when a bullet hits their vest when you are dealing with a larger caliber bullet (something larger than a .22).  The size of the board also produces fairly limited benefits.  If the board were larger, the torque from the board getting hit by a bullet would make it even more impossible to hold.

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2 Comments:

Blogger Martin G. Schalz said...

Hmmmm, kinda hard to hang onto after you've been shot in the leg(s), isn't it?

8/19/2013 1:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nothing is "bulletproof", including a tank. Bullet resistant is the term. Class 3 bulletproof vest will stop a .357 or a 9mm, but NO high powered rifles, such as used in Aurora & Sandy Hook.

8/23/2013 4:07 PM  

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