Is there a back story to this project that predates this particular product Griffin? Have you been involved in making skateboards previous to this project?

No, this is my first skateboard project. I decided to create the board after a discussion with my college roommate about school shootings since there was a shooting at a college campus just a few miles from our school. That’s pretty much the back story to the idea.

I’m assuming that you being a skateboarder yourself figures in the genesis of this idea somewhere, right?

Yeah of course. Living in Newport Beach, California we all skateboard on the boardwalk and ride our boards to school. It’s an everyday thing for nearly everyone that I know.

Without meaning to sound patronising Griffin, this is an impressive undertaking for a 19-year-old, particularly taking into account the materials you’re using and the engineering aspects that must be involved in creating anything bullet-proof, let alone a bullet proof skateboard. Do you have a background in weapons related engineering or something?

No. I extensively researched the issue of dispersing the energy from a bullet. A lot of people thought it couldn’t be done because most bulletproof materials are over 2 inches thick. The Turtle Board deck is just 12.7 mm thick and weighs less than 1.8 kg.

The numbers in your press release are pretty sobering, especially to someone in the UK where thankfully school shootings are virtually non-existent. It’s hard to put myself into the mindset of a parent who is actively concerned about this on a daily basis but, if as your press release says, there’s an average of one school shooting per week in the USA currently, I guess it is a genuine fear. What prompted you to take this somewhat novel approach to that problem?

I was at college when there was a school shooting at the University of California Los Angeles, which is just 11 miles away. My roommate and I were a little freaked out and discussed strategies for staying safe in the event of an active shooter situation. I told my roommate, “It’s too bad your skateboard isn’t bullet proof because you always have it with you and it would make a great shield.” That gave me the idea. Not long after I started working on the prototype a teacher and a student were killed in San Bernardino, which is close to where I live.

At the risk of asking too personal a question – do you have a personal connection to the issue of school shootings that inspired you to create this product?

It was really just about being a freshman in college a short distance from UCLA where a shooting had occurred a few months prior. It was a topic on everyone’s mind and it really inspired me to be proactive.

Can the turtle board still operate as a regular skateboard too? Is that the intention?

The skateboard feels like you are surfing the streets. It has just the right flexibility. We added shock pads and risers to prevent wheel bite. Even though it looks like it would be slick, there is enough grip even without grip tape to perform tricks. It’s the perfect board for riding to and from school. And, being able to see right through the board is very cool, especially at night with the lighted wheels.

How and where have you tested the product? Under what kind of conditions I mean?

I first developed several prototypes that were tested by an active member of law enforcement here in California using a 9 mm and .22 caliber firearm. We then started extensively testing the board against various caliber handguns. These tests were conducted in a tactical range by a firearms expert. We tested the board against a 9 mm, .38, .45, as well as, a .357 and .44 magnum. The skateboard is made of level 3 bulletproof material capable of stopping multiple shots from a .44 magnum. Bullet proof ratings established by Underwriters Laboratory extend to level 8, but according to one bulletproof glass company, levels 1 to 3 are typical used at businesses like banks and convenience stores.

As a Brit I have to ask this one really, despite the obvious differences in culture as it relates to firearms – doesn’t it seem like an acceptance of the inevitability of school shootings to produce and sell this kind of a product? Would active campaigning against gun ownership be as relevant to this particular phenomenon? Or is that just British naivete on my behalf?

School shootings have sadly become the new normal in the States. Lawmakers are at an impasse when it comes to any sort of progressive gun legislation. In the meantime, I created this product as a way to give students a sense of control over the situation: “If a school shooting goes down, at least I have my board with me.”

Is this anxiety something that your average school student over in the States undergoes on a daily basis would you say? Schools have metal detectors and whatnot on the doors right? Is this defensive measure the natural next step from that?

Students here in the States think about school shootings all the time. The anxiety is heightened every time it’s reported. Most schools in the States do not have metal detectors, only in the most urban areas. Schools have started posting safety videos on how to respond to an active shooter situation, but the advice given to defend yourself is to throw school books at the shooter. That doesn’t seem like good advice. Here is a video of a school district in Orange County, California, that recommends using your skateboard to strike a shooter (at 7:54).

Do you see there being a market for this product outside of the States?

Yes. First, the skateboarding culture is rapidly growing outside the States. Our skateboards fit in with this since the design comes from the old school boards from the days when they use to ride in empty pools. With regards to the protective features of our board, teachers in the United Kingdom are now being trained on how to respond to these types of situations so potentially this product has application anywhere.

Where can people go to find out more about what Turtle Boards do?

For more information, visit kickstarter.com and search for “bulletproof skateboard.”
You can also click the link here: Turtle Boards
We also ship the board internationally.

All photos courtesy of Turtle Boards