(NewsNation) — Some parents are turning to bulletproof backpacks in the wake of the tragic Uvalde, Texas, school shooting.

Mike de Geus, the founder and CEO of Leatherback Gear, explained how bulletproof backpacks work during a Thursday appearance on NewsNation’s “Prime.”

Designed by a former Secret Service agent, Leatherback Gear transforms backpacks into bulletproof vests. Children can protect themselves during a shooting by holding the backpack up to deflect bullets.

“What we built and designed is the equivalent of a fire extinguisher,” de Geus said.

The intention behind Leatherback Gear is to provide people time and protection during chaos.

“I call it a personal reactionary tool to a life-threatening problem that affords you time because (in) any situation, seconds matter. Time matters,” de Geus said.

De Geus told NewsNation that his brother has actually been present during an an active shooting. And he’s one of a handful of people in the world that’s resolved such an incident, putting the shooter down where no one was killed except the shooter.

A spike in sales after a tragic event like a school shooting is typical, according to Steve Naremore, the owner of another backpack manufacturer TuffyPacks.

Another manufacturer of self-defense products, Guard Dog Security, told Insider that their sales increase right after massacre.

The cost of a bulletproof backpack is not cheap. Prices for a Leatherback Gear backpack range from $249.99 to $399.99.

Prices for a Guard Dog Security backpack range from $99.99 to $189.99.

The Texas shooting is one of at least 24 acts of gun violence at a K-12 school during school hours this year alone, according to The Washington Post.