Valley company selling bullet-resistant furniture
Oct 15, 2013, 5:00 AM | Updated: 9:32 pm
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After 20 years of selling furniture that goes into lobbies and waiting rooms, Jeffrey Isquith is now selling bullet-resistant material to go inside furniture.
He said his material meets national body armor standards.
“The barrier material is in the frame of the chair,” Isquith said. “And it doesn’t affect the look of the chair, it doesn’t affect the comfort of the chair when you’re sitting in it.”
Isquith said he the idea for Scottsdale-based Ballistic Furniture Systems came after a string of mass shootings in public places.
“I was concerned like everyone else and started thinking, ‘Wow, these shootings are taking place in environments that I work in.'”
Isquith said most people don’t automatically run to the exit when someone opens fire.
“What happens is, nine times out of ten, they freeze up, they drop to the floor and get behind some type of structure.”
From government buildings to hospitals and houses of worship, Isquith said there are plenty of potential customers. He is currently talking with manufacturers and predicts some people could be sitting in bullet-resistant furniture by next summer.
