Bulletbroof: The New Classroom Whiteboard Can Also Be Used As A Protection Device

Since the most recent school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, everyone from politicians and bureaucrats to parents and teachers have something to say about gun control. But noticeably absent from this cacophonous jumble of underinformed people and misinterpreted quotes is the voice of those who can actually change things: the engineers. Finally though, they have come through with a simple solution that makes everyone else smack their head and mutter, “well, yeah, duhh. Why didn’t I think of that?”

Engineers at Hardwire, a Maryland armor manufacturer, has developed a bulletproof whiteboard that can stop a 9mm round at close range. The whiteboard is a fully functional board and has two rubberized handles and straps so it can be used as a one-arm shield against handgun fire at close range.  The company also makes a 10x13in clipboard that has a similar function.

The material behind the whiteboard is called Dynameer, developed by Hardwire for a defense project known as MRAP, a system of protecting vehicles from land mines. Not much has been made public about the material, due to it being used on military vehicles. The most information available is that it is a polyethylene-based substance.

Suddenly, a much easier and practical solution is available. While the politicians and bureaucrats sort out their differences and cut through the red tape, parents and teachers can rest assured that it has been made harder to cut down their children.