(MintPress) – As zombies continue to breathe new life in American popular culture, one ammunition retailer is looking to cash in on the popularity, and potential paranoia, brought on by media and recent events. This year, Hornady Manufacturing, Inc. began selling its line of “Zombie Max” bullets – from 9 mm to 12-gauge ammunition, and everything in between. The bullets are marketed as a means of protection from a “zombie apocalypse.”
Zombie hysteria has been both the foundation for jokes, but also real concern as the Center of Disease Control (CDC) has been forced to downplay recent events of cannibalism as a sign of zombie-like behavior. A recent event in Miami created buzz when a man, who was allegedly under the influence of the mind-altering drug “bath salts,” attacked and beat a homeless man. The attacker, Rudy Eugene, then began chewing on the man’s face, removing chunks of flesh, according to police.
Days later, a similar incident happened in Louisiana when a man was attacked and had a portion of his face bitten off. Reports suggest that “bath salts” may have also played a role in that attack.
Nonetheless, headlines of a “zombie apocalypse” inundated the media, prompting the CDC to temper worries by saying that the organization was unaware of any condition that would replicate zombie behavior in humans.
“CDC does not know of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead (or one that would present zombie-like symptoms),” said CDC spokesman David Daigle.
Despite the statement from the CDC, Hornady said that the “Zombie Max” line of ammunition has become one of its more successful products. Hornady spokesman Everett Deger told a Detroit CBS affiliate that it’s difficult to gauge what the motivation is for people to buy the product, but that many are purchasing the bullets as a novelty item.
“This is probably one of the only (product) launches that we’ve seen when people who are not in the hunting and shooting industry will go out and they will purchase this,” Deger said. “I mean, I’ve heard of guys who buy it just because they think the packaging is cool and they set it on their cube and they don’t even own a gun.”
On its website, Hornady makes it clear that the bullets are live ammunition, and not just a toy. In a disclaimer, the company says that the ammunition is for “killing zombies” and not for legitimate uses, such as animal hunting.
“No human being, plant, animal, vegetable or mineral should ever be shot with Hornady Zombie Max ammunition,” the disclaimer says. “Again, we repeat, Hornady Zombie Max ammunition is for use on ZOMBIES ONLY, and that’s not a nickname, phrase or cute way of referring to anybody, place or thing. When we say Zombies, we mean…ZOMBIES!”
Author Dana Fredsti wrote on the Huffington Post that zombie folklore has always had strong roots in American pop culture, but that only recently has it garnered a cult-like following.
“Now you can’t turn around without running into zombie-savvy civilians. Over the last few years zombies have taken over publishing, movies, television and pop culture as relentlessly as they’ve overrun farmhouses and malls in George Romero’s films,” Fredsti wrote. “Even the CDC has gotten into the rotting, shambling spirit of things.”
The popular zombie-themed show “The Walking Dead” has slowly become a television staple, as the show set an AMC television ratings record for the network by attracting nine million viewers for its finale.
And Hornady isn’t the only retailer that has looked to cash in on the zombie obsession sweeping the nation. Last year, Omaha, Neb. hardware store manager Mike Dowling dedicated a portion of his store to tools that would be useful in fending off a “zombie apocalypse.” The “Zombie Preparedness Center,” as it was dubbed, contains tools such as nail guns, bolts, fasteners, glue and duct tape.
The store’s director of customer relationship development, Liz Benditt, said the offerings received a great response.
“I was a little worried that we might be a little too out there, that people might take offense,” Benditt said in an interview with the Associated Press. “But if anything, (the effect) has been the opposite.”
Hornady said its line of “Zombie Max” bullets are simply a fun marketing technique that it implemented to capitalize on the zombie craze in the country. The company does not encourage the bullets to be used for any reason other than recreational target practice.
“After it gained some acceptance among some of us here in the company [and we] got on board with the idea we decided just to have some fun with a marketing plan that would allow us to create some ammunition designed for that … fictional world,” Deger said.