Is Door-Clamping Tech a Dead Stop or Stop Gap to School Shootings?

A group of high school students in Washington, DC, has come up with a way prevent potential school shooters from entering a classroom.

Working with their math teacher, the students at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School created a prototype of their invention, which is called DeadStop. It aims to be both inexpensive—ideally only $15—and quick to implement. The device clamps over the hinge that closes heavy classroom doors, effectively making it impossible for an unwanted intruder to enter.

MIT has awarded the students a grant of $6,600 to develop a sturdier version of the DeadStop, and a law firm has offered to do pro bono work to help the kids acquire a patent.

Of course, the device’s efficacy is dependent on several factors. Students and teachers must know a shooter is present. Then, someone must think fast enough to throw the detachable clamp on the door. And even then, depressingly, shots can still make it through the door. So while it does limit the shooter’s ability to enter a particular classroom, it remains less of a dead stop and more of a stopgap.

That being said, it’s pretty impressive to watch a bunch of high school kids analyze a very serious problem that concerns them and offer up a well-thought-out solution. That’s much more significant than any of the projects I was doing in high school (toothpick bridge, anyone?).

(H/T Smithsonian)

@heyiamlex