By Brian Shane, USA Today

POCOMOKE CITY, Md. — In direct response to the deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn., a Maryland armor manufacturer has developed a handheld white board for classrooms that can stop a bullet from a handgun fired at point-blank range.

"It's something I don't think any American can tolerate anymore, and we're in a position to do something about it," said George Tunis, CEO and chairman of Pocomoke City-based Hardwire. "I was like — all right, let's take everything we got, see what we can throw at this problem, figure out an innovative solution."

The 18-by-20-inch, 3.75-pound white boards are meant to slip unobtrusively into the classroom as a teaching tool while being large enough to cover the head and torso. Each has three rubberized handles on the back, handy for a teacher to carry. In an emergency, the user can slip a forearm inside the handles, and it becomes a shield.

Tunis called the white boards a last line of defense for teachers and students against attackers with handguns, one meant to buy them time — or to avert tragedy — before police arrive. Hardwire also offers a 10-by-13-inch ballistic clipboard with a white board surface.

"As teachers are doing their daily lesson plans, it's in their hands. And if there's a crisis, it's in their hands," Tunis said. "Teachers are not first responders, but sometimes they're thrust into that role." Read more at USA Today