While the rest of Boulder mourned the victims of the mass shooting at the Table Mesa King Soopers, Boulder High graduate Trent Bush Jr. got to work. He wanted to do more than grieve and move on – he wanted to create solutions so others could feel safe living in a country where mass shootings had become almost commonplace. He and some friends built a company that offers fast, personal protection that doesn’t come in the form of another weapon. Here’s some information about Life Tote:
The Catalyst for Life Tote
Bush has given several interviews to multiple news outlets, including the Boulder Daily Camera and 9News. In each, it’s evident that he wishes he didn’t feel compelled to make this type of product and that we lived in a country that was safe and secure. However, when tragedy struck so close to home, he began to grow uncomfortable and increasingly scared moving about daily life. Only one month after the shooting on March 22, 2021, Trent’s Life Tote idea was born.
Personal Protection Meets Convenience
We hear many arguments that mass shootings could be stopped if the public was armed or we had a stronger police presence in public areas. Bush didn’t buy this, and instead of a firearm, he created something else people could carry – a tote bag, lined with Kevlar, and constructed with adjustable body straps and a breakaway zipper. During the pandemic, Trent taught himself to sew and made the first prototype.
Now, the bag is made from military-grade 500D nylon and webbing, making it ultra durable. He opted to use NIJ Level 3A Kevlar inserts that slide into each side of the bag and are rated to stop .357 magnum and smaller rounds. According to Life Tote, these rounds are used in 81% of mass shootings. For those who want more protection, thicker inserts can be purchased to slide into the Life Tote.
LifeTote is Taking Off
Recently, Trent and his business partner, Nathan, were invited to attend eMerge Americas – a business showcase featuring 100 top university startups from around the world. LifeTote was chosen out of thousands of applicants and was able to showcase its product to 20,000+ attendees.
A Bird’s Eye View
Students are paving the way to better, brighter, and safer futures for our shared communities. Driven by innovation, creativity, and a desire to make the world a little bit better, Trent and Nathan worked diligently to solve an issue affecting them and the people they love. While this bag is a wonderful answer to a terrible problem, the sad reality is that Bush had to create this product because of a lack of foresight and protection from state and national governments. Hopefully, its consumers only ever have to use it as a tote bag, but we remain grateful that this is an option for safety.