The concept of the QuickLock Shield^® was created during a meeting with the lower school of Ashley Hall in Charleston, SC.  ASI founder and President, Fred Edson, who now serves on the crisis team, met with school officials to review the crisis management plan following the Virginia Tech massacre.  Ashley Hall, like most schools, includes locking doors during a lockdown.  When asked about the vulnerability of the glass windows in the classroom doors it became clear that windows are desirable (or required in some states), and that cages or bars would impede the nurturing learning environment, as well as conflict with fire codes.  Because funds are limited, the idea of an inexpensive screen to deploy only during a crisis was created. 

In many attacks on schools, students and teachers are trapped in classrooms at the mercy of gunmen.  Some survive by playing dead.  Some survive by keeping a shooter out with makeshift barricades on the door.  Schools or office buildings can turn classrooms or offices into a place of refuge at a relatively low cost.  The QuickLock Shield may not only offer protection, but also deter a shooter who will view this device as an obstacle to inflicting mass casualties.