Action News Jax Investigates: Bullet-resistant seat cushions

Today, products of personal safety are enticing, and top of mind, the extra layers of security can put a parent's mind at ease before sending their child to school.

In the wake of mass shootings in the workplace, and school new companies are using the latest technologies to give consumers some piece of mind.

Bullet Blocker, a Massachusetts-based company was started after the Virginia Tech Massacre.

The company selling an array of products that could help keep someone safe.

Bullet Blocker’s safety seat shield is disguised as a functional seat cushion, according to its manual, it is lightweight, only weighing 22 ounces.

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Action News Jax put the cushion to the test, we took two cushions to a gun range with Action News Jax former FBI Agent and Law and Safety expert Dale Carson.

We stood 17.4 feet away from the target, the same distance used in the company’s testing.

Firing a .22-caliber handgun, the cushion stopped the rounds, the cushion stopped the .9mm and .45-caliber rounds.

The founder of Bullet Blocker, Joe Curran, says the safety seat was created for customers who wanted something other than a backpack.

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"A teacher was mentioning that they wish they had something they could use in the classroom, without alerting or scaring the kids."

While the cushion tested well at more than 17 feet away, we wanted to see how it did at close range, from about 5 feet away Several rounds went through, Curran says our results did not match the company’s own close range testing.

"I know I've tested it thousands of times with all sorts of different things 45's, 44's, 357's from inches away to many feet away and it's worked beautifully."

The close range testing we did went beyond the company's certification standards.

The seat cushion, which sells for $168, comes with a waiver of liability, which says the product is not 100 percent bulletproof or resistant.

For local parents, products that offer even some measure of protection against gunfire are appealing, some local moms liked the idea and convenience of a seat cushion, and any product that takes personal safety to the next level.

Cox Media Group