Firm creates bulletproof whiteboards for schools

"The thought that someone can just walk into my classroom and take my life away is terrifying," wrote freshman Tori Barros. "Knowing that Hardwire is providing my classmates and I with the protection that someday may save our lives is a huge relief."

Tunis also pitched the whiteboards to Wicomico County public schools, where many elementary school students already work at their desks each day using a whiteboard, and hold them up high when responding to a teacher's question.

Wicomico County School Superindentent John Fredericksen said he likes the Hardwire whiteboards can be integrated seamlessly into the teaching environment without being disruptive.

"You still need to recognize — it's a school," he said. "Some people would say, you need to put an armed guard with a flak jacket and firearms and Tasers at the front door. I'm not sure it's going to do more to make us safe, but it's going to scare the daylights out of a bunch of kids."

Tunis said he'd like to see every teacher in America carry a Hardwire ballistic whiteboard in their classroom. That comes to about 7 million whiteboards, which he said his factory could produce in one year, if it ran 24 hours a day, at a cost of about $1 billion.

Information from: The Daily Times of Salisbury, Md., http://www.delmarvanow.com/