Tuffypacks, a Houston-based manufacturer of backpacks, has removed a number of themed “bulletproof backpacks” from its website after Disney and Warner Bros took steps to prevent the use of their characters on the unlicensed products, which were rolled out in the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, which left 31 dead and scores of others injured. The “Ballistic Shield” featured a brightly coloured picture of the Avengers charging headlong into view, with Captain America and his famous shield front and centre. Other options featured a selection of Disney princesses including Cinderella and Princess Jasmine, and Harry Potter, a Warner Bros property. The backpacks are designed to protect children from handgun fire. Disney said in a statement yesterday: “None of these products were authorised 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.” Warner Bros added in a separate statement: "These are not official <em>Harry Potter</em> products, and are in no way endorsed, licensed or in any other way supported, directly or indirectly, by Warner Bros." TuffyPack's founder and CEO Steve Naremore told <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em> that the new line was actually intended to coincide with Back-to-School sales but unfortunately instead coincided with the two latest mass shooting incidents. He also conceded that sales increase between 300 and 500 per cent after a mass shooting. Naremore added, that in his opinion, his company did not need to approach Disney for permission to use their characters on the backpacks, as they buy the fabric in bulk from a supplier who has already obtained a licence to use the characters. Nonetheless, by this morning the backpacks appeared to have been removed from the company’s website, which Naremore had previously confirmed was the only place they were being sold.