It's back to school, kids -- don't forget your bulletproof backpacks

It's time for parents to make the annual trek to get back-to-school items, which usually includes jeans, jerseys and a few notebooks.

Boston television station WCVB reported Thursday that a couple of Boston men want parents to consider something else -- a bulletproof backpack

How sad is this?

It started with the Columbine shooting in 1999. [Joe] Curran and Mike Pelonzi said that they watched and worried for their own children. They had the idea to hide bulletproof material inside a backpack. They call it defensive action.

"If the kid has a backpack next to them, or under the desk, they can pick it up, the straps act as a handle and it becomes a shield," Curran said.

My first reaction to this was, "you've got to be kidding," but these dads are dead serious.

"I want to keep my kid safe," Curran said. "I don't care what you do -- if you want to fight the good fight or fix the world's hurts, I can't help you, but my kids are going to be safe because of these backpacks."

The backpacks, which sell for $175, will stop an assortment of bullets, including 9-millimeter hollow point bullets. When the vast majority of schools are safe, is this really necessary?

What do you think.