WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. - Gun violence in America's schools has dominated headlines several times in recent years.
One Worcester County business is helping Eastern Shore students and staff defend themselves should an armed attacker make it into a school.
"Uvalde for us was just so family shattering and community shattering that we wanted to step up and have a bias toward action and make a very large donation to our local community to make sure that it wouldn't happen here on the Lower Shore," said George Tunis, CEO of Hardwire, LLC, based in Pocomoke City.
Hardwire, LLC is donating 1,600 Emergency Response Shields to Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset County schools. The Worcester County Board of Education formally accepted the donation Tuesday.
The shields weigh 24 pounds and will be deployed in schools to be in easy and quick reach - similar to how fire extinguishers are deployed.
They are made of Level III armor, which can stop rounds from handguns, shotguns, and even assault-style rifles.
Folks who learned about the donations had mixed emotions about such equipment becoming necessary in schools
"Times are evolving," said Aaron, a father from Wicomico County. "Things are changing, people are changing. We have to be proactive in having a line of defense in place for our babies."
University student Marie was concerned about how such equipment will affect children's psychological development.
"When I think of children in a school, I feel like it's a warzone psychology, this idea that you have to be arming yourself," Marie said. "I don't like that for children."
The Worcester County Board of Education is coordinating with Hardwire LLC and county staff to work out a deployment schedule.