Bulletproof backpacks are becoming a back-to-school staple in the US

An American student received an unusual present from his mum before starting college. But she's not the only parent buying a bulletproof backpack for her child.

A bulletproof backpack Source: Twitter

Before his freshman year at the University of Connecticut, J.T. Lewis received an unusual gift from his mother: a bulletproof backpack.

Mr Lewis, who will be a sophomore at the university, comes from a family shattered by gun violence: His younger brother, Jesse, was killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.