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Comment by evo_9 | Hacker News Reader

5 pointsevo_98 comments

If they do, have the US arms industry supply a set and a spare to every school-aged child in the country.

At the arms industry's expense.

Only in very special country with "special" gun laws, those kind of articles would be needed. One could argue that other countries would solve the underlying problems through other approaches than bulletproof backpacks (i.e. change laws).

"Is Bulletproofing My Backpack Right for Me?

Do you feel safe while you’re out?

Do you feel safe in your neighborhood?

...

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, consider investing in backpack armor. "

So... If I feel safe I need backpack armor? Seems backwards. Also, wouldn't this be heavy?

The type of armor they use would be just a few pounds (maybe 3 depending on size).

They're selling fear.

"just because you feel safe, doesn't mean you are. Get a backpack and then you don't even have to think about if someone is going to shoot you in the back"

People who worry about it will buy one, people who don't worry about it suddenly feel the need to buy one and friends / family members will buy them for other people.

From an Australians point of view this is sheer craziness, but tbh I dont begrudge them. The Americans had a devastating mass shooting in a primary school today. one of these might have help save a life of a child.

There are other options to solve this problem but the US is unwilling. So instead we have blogposts about bullet proofing childrens school supplies.

Can you name a country where there are no mass shootings? Arguably this item could be as useful anywhere as in the US. Mass shootings are rare per capita, even in the US. The risk is negligible yet people will still buy these products.

Edit: the point is that the low effort comment of other countries passing laws and not needing this are not adding to the discussion. You can find armor products for civilians, including backpacks, in other countries that have low levels of gun violence. If the problem is truly solved in that country then why do they still sell these products?

The point should be to have an actual discussion about what would fix the issue. You mention laws, but then there's no mention of what those laws would entail.

There's no nation with anywhere near the general economic health of the USA doing anywhere remotely as bad at gun violence as us.

Excusing our shittiness by hiding behind a flacid excuse that guns kill people everywhere is ignoring the truth. It's a coward act to ignore how wildly disproprotionately off balance we are. Please acknowledge that there's a real issue, that this isnt a reasonable or civil condition. Something is structurally wrong when society doesnt try to improve out of these conditions, when it only offers faint hopes & prayers & no actions.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/03/24/9808381...

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