Tag Archives: black friday
Zombies A Factor In Gun Sales Increase, Gun Rights Advocate Says
It’s not just President Obama’s re-election that’s lead to a spike in gun sales. The living dead are also providing a reason to stock up on firearms and ammo.
My Northwest.com reports that, according to FBI data, background checks for guns rose 20 percent on Black Friday from the same day last year. According to KIRO, one gun rights advocate said part of the reason for the increase is zombies.
“A lot of people appear to be really enthralled by this,” Dave Workman said. “I’ve seen lines of zombie targets, I know one or two ammunition companies have introduced boxes, lines of cartridges they called zombie cartridges, shotgun shells and rifle shells.”
The zombie-themed merchandise has ushered in a new generation of gun shooters, according to Workman.
Of course, the popularity of TV’s “Walking Dead,” heralds the coming of a zombie apocalypse for which we must prepare.
Those sentiments were echoed earlier this year by Texas gun purveyor Cris Parsons in an interview with ABC News.
He said products like Zombie Max ammunition (slogan: “just in case”) made by Hornady Manufacturing fly off the shelves.
“We can’t keep it in stock,” Parsons said. “It comes in a cool, colorful box with a Zombie on it.”
Clearly zombies are hot with gun fans, but what about other weapons? Could they too become the beneficiaries of a “zombie bump”? Absolutely, according to Detroit Free Press’ Eric Millikin.
“Zombies are also sure to increase sales of machetes, nunchucks, and prosthetic chainsaw hands,” he writes.
Zombie Research Society Founder Matt Mogk Talks Zombie Survival Tips
For help with our recent feature, Seven Zombie-Proof World Landmarks, we went straight to Matt Mogk, founder and head of the Zombie Research Society and the author of Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies. What he told us might just save you from becoming zombie food.
First, says Mogk, evaluate a shelter on the DSM scale, for Defensibility, Sustainbility, and Mobility. He also points out that dying of dehydration should be your biggest concern (aside from, you know, getting your limbs torn off by a zombie). If you get trapped somewhere without water, you could be dead within three days.
So where is Mogk heading when the zombies rise from the dead? Nipton, California, a small solar-powered town that can generate its own energy, produce food, and is isolated enough to defend.
If you can’t make it out to the Mojave Desert town, Mogk suggests heading to the nearest cemetery in an emergency: Zombies aren’t going to rise from graves (are they?), and no one thinks to go to a cemetery even on a normal day, so there won’t be many other people around.
Mogk says that “people make zombies,” so you should get away from crowds at all costs. In other words, your “brilliant” plan to head to the nearest mall or Costco is foolish because everyone else is going to go there. “People get trampled to death on Black Friday over saving money on flatscreen TVs,” notes Mogk, so imagine the panic during a zombie outbreak.
The Walking Dead may have been thoroughly mocked for sending its characters to an isolated farm for its second season, but Mogk says it’s actually a good spot to hide out since it’s far away from other people. Plus, you can grow food and have access to water.