In recent years, manufacturers have reacted to the gun violence epidemic by creating new products for consumers. One particular manufacturer in Houston called TuffyPacks was inspired to create "Ballistic Shields," which were brightly-colored pictures of characters such as Captain America and Belle from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" that were meant to be used in order to protect yourself from handgun fire.

However, Disney has now ordered that the company stop selling merchandise that depicts any character that resembles one of their own, stating that they are not endorsed products.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the new products, which debuted last month, had seen a spike in sales following the two recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. Steve Naremore, the founder and CEO of the company, said it had "been a busy couple of days."

The latest models included Disney Princesses, such as Cinderella and Rapunzel, along with characters such as Harry Potter and the Avengers. Each shield was priced at $129.00.

"None of these products were authorized by Disney, and we are demanding that those behind this stop using our characters or our other intellectual property to promote sales of their merchandise," a Disney spokesperson said earlier in a statement.

A Warner Bros. spokesperson said that the Harry Potter products were also unauthorized.

At first, the items were timed to coincide with children going back to school, but the two recent events changed the trajectory of sales. Naremore would not reveal specifics regarding how much the company currently makes, but he did say, "We have two commas in our sales, if you know what that means. We've been at two commas for a while."

Initially, TuffyPacks said that they were not required to have a licensing agreement with Disney because they bought the fabric in bulk and inserted the bulletproof shields themselves, so therefore only the maker of the fabric was required to be licensed. However, the Houston-based company had to eventually cave to Disney's demands and remove the items from their website, reports The Wrap.

As of right now, TuffyPacks is said to be removing all items with associated imagery while they "review their options for the themed products."

Classroom
A classroom is pictured. Pixabay
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