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Sen. Schumer urges online retailers to stop selling cellphone cases that look 'disturbingly similar' to handguns

Posted 7/8/15

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer is urging online retailers, including Amazon and eBay, to stop selling iPhone cases made to look like a real gun. Schumer says the makers of the new iPhone gun grip …

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Sen. Schumer urges online retailers to stop selling cellphone cases that look 'disturbingly similar' to handguns

Posted

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer is urging online retailers, including Amazon and eBay, to stop selling iPhone cases made to look like a real gun.

Schumer says the makers of the new iPhone gun grip case may be violating federal law, the same law he says he is urging Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to target as part of his push to halt the import of the gun grip cases.

The case features a gun grip and trigger guard, and can be found online for approximately $5 to $49.

Schumer cited NYPD warnings when describing the potential dangers of the new iPhone gun grip case, which is advertised to complement a person’s front or back pocket, brandished as if it were a real weapon, Schumer said.

“Any retailer willing to sell this potentially dangerous and tasteless handgun iPhone case is making a very bad call and putting lives at risk. We should be doing everything in our power to end the rash of gun violence across the country, however, this product simply promotes it. Moreover, this iPhone gun case can result in tragedy if mistaken for a real gun. I hope that Amazon and eBay take urgent action and remove all gun grip phone case products from their sites,” said Schumer.

The “Gun Grip Case,” which can be used on iPhones 5, 5S, 6, 6S can be found online at Amazon.com and eBay.com through third party retailers. The cellphone case closely resembles a 9mm handgun, Schumer said.

An iPhone can be placed in the middle section of the case. Online retailers describe the phone case as “cool,” “trendy,” and “stylish.” However, law enforcement statewide have raised concerns about the new phone case because they look “disturbingly similar to a real weapon and can be easily mistaken for a gun,” Schumer said.

In addition, the case can be used with a Russian roulette app that transforms your phone’s screen into the image of a gun barrel, Schumer said.

Schumer said federal law (15 USC 5001) requires “each toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm [to] have as an integral part, permanently affixed, a blaze orange plug inserted in the barrel of such toy, look-alike or imitation firearm.”

Schumer said that because the “Gun Grip Case” is a look-alike firearm, it must include an orange plug in the barrel.

As it stands, the case is likely in violation of this federal law and therefore, illegal to sell and transport, according to Schumer.