GREENSBORO, N.C. — Nashville police say before a former student shot six people at a Christian elementary school Monday, the 28-year-old suspect used two assault-type guns to fire into the school's glass doors to gain entry - ducking through once the glass panels shattered.
Immediately after the police released the video, people all over social media started calling for every school to get bulletproof glass.
“I was just frightened beyond words. I was angry. Devastated. Because I knew what was coming next. Because once that person gained access to the school, all bets were off," said Wayne Gregory with Eversafe Security Solutions. "Knowing that there was a solution. Knowing that there was a way to prevent these people from gaining access. It was just said.”
His company sells bullet-resistant glass designed to protect against assault-style guns. Eversafe posted this example video on Youtube. The shooting starts at 1:58 in the footage.
“We have ways to keep it where someone can't shoot their way or beat their way in," Gregory said. "And our goal is to make it such that it doesn’t change the appearance of the building, make it where no one knows whether the glass has been protected or the walls have been protected. That’s our goal."
THE COST OF BULLETPROOF GLASS
2 Wants To Know asked every major Triad school district if they have or have considered this technology. One said no. The rest have not responded. We're not naming the schools because having bullet-resistant glass and keeping it a secret gives the schools an edge over a potential shooter. But overall, very few schools have this layer of protection. In fact, Gregory estimates that only about 2% of schools nationwide have the technology in place right now. One big reason is the cost: an estimated $50,000 - $75,000 per elementary school.
"Just because you don’t have $50,000 doesn’t mean you don’t have $2,500. That doesn’t mean you don’t have $5,000. The point is you have to start somewhere," Gregory said. "The excuse that we don’t have the budget to do it, that’s not acceptable. So you have to focus on where the weak points are. Let’s address those first and then we’ll build from there.”
A LESS-EXPENSIVE OPTION
2 Wants To Know found another option. School Guard offers tempered glass upgrades that are about $80-$100 per door. What makes them cheaper is that they are thinner and focus on holding off the attacker for 6 or 12 minutes, depending on what level of glass you buy. Here's an example from the company on Youtube:
“We wanted to allow time for first responders, school lockdowns to be put in place, and more of a containment," said Shea Cox with School Guard.
2 Wants To Know has also reached out to the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools to get their opinion on this technology. We'll let you know when we hear back.
In the meantime, there is a push nationwide to update building codes for schools to require protective glass. But nothing has been finalized at this point.