Minn. lawmakers want to ban gun-shaped cell phone cases

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It’s an accident waiting to happen and a recent uptick in cell phone cases shaped like guns has police across the country on high alert. Minnesota lawmakers will introduce legislation to prohibit the gun shaped cases. Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) and Rep. Dan Schoen (DFL-South Saint Paul) will hold a press conference Friday. The legislation would ban the manufacture, sale and possession of the cases in the state. The cases can easily be mistaken for an actual gun, especially when displayed in a pocket.

Not only is the case a concern for law enforcement, but the gun-shaped cases can be a threat to schools, airports and basically everywhere. Most people can take a quick look at the case and say, “it looks like an actual gun.”  

The gun shaped cases recently sparked discussion in New York, when U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and law enforcement agencies urged retailers to stop selling them and warned people not to buy them.