A U.S. senator is calling for a ban on a novelty cellphone case shaped like a gun, calling it tragedy waiting to happen.
"It should be labeled as deadly, dangerous and illegal," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said at a news conference Tuesday.
The fake gun phone case, which retailers are trying to market as edgy and trendy, can be purchased for $5 to $50.
Schumer called on online retailers like Amazon and eBay to stop selling them. He added that novelty guns have an orange dot at the end of the barrel, while the phone cases do not.
"Even if they were to adopt it, we would say these guns are illegal because they don't meet federal law. They don't have that orange dot," he said. "We're asking Border Patrol, which is in charge of enforcing the law when it comes to imports, to stop it immediately."
Cellphone users agree that the cases shouldn't be sold.
"They probably should be outlawed," said Robert Spagoni of Smithtown, Long Island.
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"I don't think it's appropriate," said Zahra George of Long Island City, Queens. "The amount of gun violence we have in this country, I don't think it's appropriate at all."
Officials in New Jersey issued their own plea last week for the public to not use purchase or use the cases. They say they could be mistaken for real guns by cops.
“A police officer’s job is hard enough, without having to make a split second decision in the dark of night when someone decides without thinking to pull this out while stopped for a motor vehicle violation,” read a Facebook post from the Ocean County prosecutor's office.
New Jersey State Police also posted the photos to Instagram in an effort to warn residents.
“It’s a terrible idea, and it’s very dangerous,” says the Instagram post. “We strongly recommend that you do not use this product.”
