# bulletproof shelters in the classroom **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978 "2018-03-03T20:55:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/1 "2018-03-03T20:55:11Z")
[An elementary school in Oklahoma has them](http://abcnews.go.com/US/oklahoma-elementary-school-installs-bulletproof-shelters-classrooms/story?id=53409001). What do you think of this idea? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/2 "2018-03-03T20:58:49Z")
[Security Theater](https://securityintelligence.com/it-is-time-to-get-serious-about-security-theater/) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/3 "2018-03-03T21:00:21Z")
If that thing can also withstand a tornado, it might be a good idea, given that tornadoes are far more likely to hit the area than a school shooting. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/4 "2018-03-03T22:05:01Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > [An elementary school in Oklahoma has them](http://abcnews.go.com/US/oklahoma-elementary-school-installs-bulletproof-shelters-classrooms/story?id=53409001). > > What do you think of this idea? They normalize the idea that school shootings are something we should simply prepare for. Taking measures against tornadoes is one thing, because they’re a force of nature, but we can get to the root cause of school shootings and definitively end them. They’re also a waste of money which should be spent on other things. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/5 "2018-03-03T22:29:04Z")
I didn’t experience them firsthand, but I remember seeing/hearing about those “duck and cover” nuclear attack drills in the schools in the… 50’s? Anyway, this reminds me of that. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/6 "2018-03-03T22:46:53Z")
How do they know when to come out? ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/7 "2018-03-03T22:50:27Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > How do they know when to come out? When they graduate? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/8 "2018-03-03T22:55:48Z")
Why isn’t the classroom itself a bulletproof shelter? Classroom walls are mostly concrete, at least around here, which leaves the door as the only weak point. And the shelter still has to have a door of some sort, too. What’s the difference between putting a bulletproof door on a shelter, and putting it on the whole room? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/9 "2018-03-03T23:03:01Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I didn’t experience them firsthand, but I remember seeing/hearing about those “duck and cover” nuclear attack drills in the schools in the… 50’s? Anyway, this reminds me of that. [“Bert the Turtle says, ‘Duck and Cover!’”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60) > [@Chronos](#): > > Why isn’t the classroom itself a bulletproof shelter? Classroom walls are mostly concrete, at least around here, which leaves the door as the only weak point. And the shelter still has to have a door of some sort, too. What’s the difference between putting a bulletproof door on a shelter, and putting it on the whole room? How does that make any money for Shelter-In-Place, Inc? Think before you ask these questions, Mitch. Twenty points higher than me, thinks a secure door is better than a giant armored yurt in the middle of the classroom? _shakes head_ Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/10 "2018-03-03T23:03:01Z")
Isn’t Oklahoma the state where the schools are so strapped for cash they’ve gone to a four-day school week? Surely, it would be better to spend money on actually educating children, rather than preparing for an event that, while tragic, is fortunately also vanishingly rare. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/11 "2018-03-03T23:18:49Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > _shakes head_ > > Stranger Yeah, well, you have no perspective. After all, you have the biggest gun of any of us here with that 39A. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/12 "2018-03-03T23:20:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Why isn’t the classroom itself a bulletproof shelter? Classroom walls are mostly concrete, at least around here, which leaves the door as the only weak point. And the shelter still has to have a door of some sort, too. What’s the difference between putting a bulletproof door on a shelter, and putting it on the whole room? Yeah. Kids don’t need windows in classrooms. Natural light is just a distraction. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/13 "2018-03-03T23:42:55Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > They normalize the idea that school shootings are something we should simply prepare for. Taking measures against tornadoes is one thing, because they’re a force of nature, but we can get to the root cause of school shootings and definitively end them. > > They’re also a waste of money which should be spent on other things. like keeping schools in OK open more than 4 days a week and paying teachers enough so they don’t all leave for Dallas. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/14 "2018-03-04T00:19:42Z")
Has anyone here heard of the “Bodyguard Blanket”? It was designed and marketed after the Moore, Oklahoma tornado that killed several children at an elementary school. It’s also bulletproof, and they know this because the inventors fired a gun into it. Just one problem: They cost about $1,000 each. > **['Bulletproof' Blanket Isn't as Promising as It Seems](https://mashable.com/archive/bulletproof-blanket)** > > 'Bulletproof' Blanket Isn't as Promising as It Seems They’re designed to be an extra layer of protection from flying debris, which is the biggest hazard in a tornado, and also so the people wearing them would be easier to find if the building collapsed. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/15 "2018-03-04T00:36:44Z")
Don’t forget the bomb shelters, for when the North Koreans nuke us. How do we prevent the kid with a gun from coming into the bullelltproof shelter? More profiteering by the fear/industrial complex. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/16 "2018-03-04T03:43:12Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Isn’t Oklahoma the state where the schools are so strapped for cash they’ve gone to a four-day school week? Surely, it would be better to spend money on actually educating children, rather than preparing for an event that, while tragic, is fortunately also vanishingly rare. [Yes, it is](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/with-state-budget-in-crisis-many-oklahoma-schools-hold-classes-four-days-a-week/2017/05/27/24f73288-3cb8-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html?utm_term=.59076ff4cde7). ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/17 "2018-03-04T04:54:07Z")
Pretty sure these were retrofitted into the building as tornado shelters. It just happens to be true that anything that can stop tornadic debris can probably stop bullets too. You can use bond funds on shelters. You can’t use them to stop 4 day weeks or give raises. I think there was a pretty strong push to get shelters into every school in the state after the 2013 tornado. If your classrooms are big enough, this seems like a doable option. I know my district has largely gone with school expansion and making the new construction into above ground shelters. My school happens to be built into a hillside so we aren’t getting any upgrades. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/18 "2018-03-04T05:05:49Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > How do they know when to come out? When the pinging noises stop. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/19 "2018-03-04T22:06:08Z")
We have a solid door…right next to a wall of glass. Brilliant. And these are the new school buildings! The district uses A.L.I.C.E. for emergencies, but people won’t behave perfectly logically and correctly during an emergency if “training” consists of one afternoon of videos and drills once a month. If guns are used to protect government officials, banks, airports, government buildings, and celebrities, why not use them to protect children? Because something bad might happen? ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978/20 "2018-03-04T22:25:54Z")
Sounds like just the thing a gunman needs to take hostages to so he can hold up against the police for days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulletproof-shelters-in-the-classroom/809978.md?page=2)