It’s back-to-school time. Unfortunately in America, this joyous occasion can be fraught with anxiety because of the high number of mass school shootings that occur. One mom in Oklahoma took preventative measures by purchasing her kindergartener a bulletproof backpack insert and running active shooter drills with him.
Cassie Walton posted a video on TikTok of her 5-year-old son practicing what to do if there was an active shooter at school. The video quickly went viral.
Cassie was inspired to take preventative action when her son learned about the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
In the video, Cassie first asks her son what to do if a teacher comes over the intercom and tells everyone to hide. He responds, “Get in the corner and be really quiet and still.” They practice using his bulletproof backpack. She even tells him how to respond if a teacher tells him not to go get his backpack. “I say, ‘No I need it. It’s bulletproof.’”
Cassie told CBS News it was hard not to get emotional running these drills. She said she “was pushing back all of the tears to try to get all of that out.” She proudly stated that her son is very smart, but his age made him believe he could “karate chop” the bad guys. She wanted him to understand the serious nature of the potential school shootings.
Cassie was surprised to learn that her video is getting so much attention. She learned about the bulletproof backpack insert on TikTok from another mom’s post, so she wanted to pay it forward in case other parents wanted to learn about them as well. She stated, “I wish that it wasn’t necessary, and I wish we could come up with a better solution.”
