Two fathers' creation of a bulletproof backpack to protect their children from school shootings is drawing flak - and brisk Internet sales.

Massachusetts creator Joe Curran said he developed the $175 My Child's Pack to give a "proactive defense" to his kids.

"We started getting fed up with seeing all the school shootings out there," he said.

Curran said he and another dad hit on the idea of installing a lightweight bulletproof panel in the backpack padding because many kids carry their packs throughout the day.

When the dads launched online sales Aug. 10, a surge of hits crashed mychildspack.com, Curran said. He couldn't say how many backpacks have been sold, but said they're currently back-ordered.

The backpack is taking some flak, though. An online poll on Denver's KOA-AM radio Monday showed 77 percent of listeners wouldn't buy the backpack.

Curran said the product has become a pawn in the emotional gun-control debate.

"The way I look at it, this backpack is nothing different than a fire extinguisher or a smoke detector. It's a tool to have in case something happens," he said.