KATY, Texas - A retired military Dad creating military grade bullet proof shields is doing what he can to keep his children and others safe.
Billy Gibbons started his business Armor Upfitters back in 2019 shortly after the Parkland school shooting in Florida in 2018. Gibbons says the bullet proof shields he’s created, that look like wall art, are in over 20 independent school districts and in close to 300 schools, which have them hanging on walls in their buildings.
In addition to those schools, just recently, Gibbons says a public college system in Texas is now working with him as well as some schools in New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Florida. It’s bittersweet because he says as his business grows, unfortunately, so does the epidemic of an active shooter situation.
“For me this is a mission to do what I can , I can't address the gun issue , I can't address the mental health issue , I 'm only doing what I can what I know how to do I would strongly prefer if I didn't have to do this making a shield that's going to an elementary school to protect against an active shooter , it's sickening to me , there's no joy in any of this we shouldn't have a society where kids can be killed just going to school,” says Gibbons.
He adds the popular sizes for the shields are typically 16 by 20 inches and run between $1200 to $1600. Most schools order the shields with either their school logo and or the American flag.
Gibbons says most shields purchased by school districts don’t have the funds to put a shield in every classroom, he says they are in resource officer’s offices or in main areas of the school where it’s easily accessible to school staff.
To learn more on how to get a bullet proof shield just head to Gibbons website:
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