Aussie parents horrified after American mum's school bag reveal
“In Australia we have ‘no hat no play’.”
Australians are horrified after an American mum revealed an item she includes in her second-grade daughter’s backpack every day.
The social media user, known as @forestandblush, shared that she had purchased Safe Line Defence’s ballistic proof shield for her seven-year-old daughter’s schoolbag.
The item is meant to sit in a child’s backpack and act as a shield if they are ever the victim of a school shooting.
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"Demand change"
“My fifth grader also has one that’s quite a bit bigger. They’re very heavy,” the mum said.
“She’s worn this since kindergarten. The first two years she complained but she’s fine now.”
The woman said that parents need to ask the classroom teacher if they can hang their bag on the back of their chair during class.
“I’ve never had a teacher tell me no,” she said in the viral clip, which has been viewed more than five million times.
“Just remind them during their active shooter drills every month that they need to take it off the back if they can, shove it in front of them and hunker down behind it,” the mum added.
“Stay safe out there.”
The mum begged people to vote for candidates who wanted proper gun legislation, saying that children were dying and the US was the only “First World” country with this problem.
The video attracted a lot of attention from Australian parents, who were shocked that this was something guardians in the US had to think about.
“In Australia we have to make sure our kids have wide brim hats. This is a super local issue guys. Demand change,” one social media user said.
Another added: “THIS IS NOT NORMAL. AMERICA IS A DISASTER.”
“As an Australian this whole thing is crazy! Is America really a first-world country,” one social media user commented.
One said: “In Australia we have ‘no hat no play’.”
“Aussie here with a 3yo child. This is one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen, having to think about this is horrific,” one commented.
Someone else said: “Meanwhile Australia is being warned about magpie season.”
“I am so happy I live in Australia,” another said.
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"I can't even imagine"
Last year, a 15-year-old was sentenced to juvenile for firing three shots from a rifle at Atlantic Beach Baptist College in Perth in May 2023. No one was hurt.
He was the first student to ever be jailed for something like this in Australia, BBC reported.
Other people from around the world also reacted to the terrifying reveal from the American mother.
“I’m from New Zealand. No school shootings. I can’t even imagine. I’m so sorry this is what you have to deal with,” one said.
Another commented: “Wow. America you should be ashamed.”
“I bought one for my son when he was in high school it still fits his current backpack that he wears to college,” one commented.
Another social media user said: “How you managed to get through all that without crying.”
“SENDING YOUR KIDS TO SCHOOL SHOULD NOT BE LIKE SENDING YOUR KIDS TO WAR EVERï¸ÂÂYDAY,” one commented.
One wrote: “The second I need to send my kid to school with a bullet proof plate they aren’t going to school. This is wild.”
“It’s funny how America will do everything possible to protect children from school shooting except do the one thing that will protect them. Crazy,” someone else commented.
One said: “As a Canadian this is crazy. Almost 80 per cent of mass shootings are done with legally obtained firearms. THIS IS A GUN CONTROL ISSUE, sponsored by the NRA and the funding it provides to politicians.”
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The mum’s frankly startling video comes after Harper Moyski, 10, and Fletcher Merkel, eight, were killed and 17 people, included 14 children and three adults, were injured after a gunman fired “dozens of rounds” through a Minneapolis’ church windows on August 27.
Students were praying on the first day of school.
Robin Westman, 23, is the suspected shooter.
A 10-year-old boy who survived the attack said his friend lay down on top of him and got hit when the gunman fired through the church windows.
“The first one, I was like, ‘What is that?’ I thought it was just something, and then when I heard it again, I just ran on the pew, and then I covered my head,” Weston Halsne told NBC News. “My friend Victor, like saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.”
The boy said his friend was “really brave” during the shooting, describing the situation as “super scary”.
“I hope he is good in the hospital.”
He said he felt “relieved” to hug his mother after the incident.
“I was very happy.”
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Originally published as Aussie parents horrified after American mum's school bag reveal
