Lawmakers in Minnesota are attempting to ban gun-shaped phone cases.
Reps. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) and Dan Schoen (DFL-South St. Paul) will introduce a bill Friday that would forbid manufacturing, selling and possessing gun-shaped cell phone cases in Minnesota, according to a press release.
The cases became a discussion point after U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, of New York, began urging online retailers not to sell them, WCCO reported.
He called the cases “disasters waiting to happen,” because when people wear them, it looks like there’s a gun sticking out of their pocket, with no orange markings. The similarities to actual firearms have become a concern for law enforcement, Fox 9 reported.
In a Facebook post, the New Jersey State Police said, “The cell phone case is a terrible idea. Officers do not have the luxury of time when making split-second decisions while interacting with the public.
Amazon has already stopped selling the item, according to the New York Times.
The Minnesota ban would be introduced to the Legislature next spring.