The Bodyguard Blanket, made by a company called ProTecht , is a "bulletproof 5/16-inch pad made from the same materials used by our military." Sounds like a useful tool for civilians in a war zone, right?Except that's not who it was created for. Its being marketed to American "children of all ages," or rather, their concerned -- and not entirely crazy -- parents.You know you live in a country with a gun control problem when there is actual market demand for bulletproof blankets made specifically to shield small children from gunfire . A statement on the blanket's " About " page reads:

Despite increased security measures in recent years, U.S. school shootings continue to rise. The tragedy at Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary school in 2012, warns us that children of all ages are at risk. As of Feb. 12th, 2014 approximately 44 school shootings have occurred in the United States since that tragic day. Regrettably, 28 lives were senselessly lost by these murderous acts. It is sad to say that these numbers continue to rise each year. What will be done to stop or reduce the number of deaths caused by school shootings? Debates continue throughout the nation on the appropriate course of action that will need to be taken to reduce school shootings and related deaths. Our children, who attend pre-school to 12th grade and college, as well as thousands of dedicated teachers, continue to be at risk from these attacks while at school each day.

Naturally, people aren't exactly thrilled about the product-- or more specifically, the environment that created a market for the product. Kelli Catana, mother and writer for Hot Moms Club explained her outrage at the Bodyguard Blanket.

"I remember when I was a kid in school our drills were all about 'stopping, dropping and rolling' in case of fire." she told The Sun . "Now, our kids go through lock down procedures in case someone unstable decides to shoot up their school."Over the past few years, we've been bombarded with news headlines in which countless parents' worst nightmares have actually come true.In 2012, the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School claimed the lives of 26 children and staff members. According to Time , there have been 23 shootings on college campuses in 2015 alone. The list goes on and on and on.So while moms like Kelli are right in their outrage, until we figure out a real solution to mass shootings, the Bodyguard Blanket seems like a perfectly viable purchase for a concerned parent to make -- no matter how much it sounds like the punchline of one of Saturday Night Live's commercial parodies.And if you're worried about the blanket being marketed exclusively to children, worry not, as it's not just for school shootings , its for ALL shootings. "Bodyguard blanket can provide protection when used properly in many settings. These include, home, highway (cars and trucks), workplace, shopping center, amusement park, sporting event or any other location where people reside."Is a world where a bulletproof blanket is actually the perfect holiday gift for all ages really a world we're content to live in?