Cellphone case shaped like handgun called "deadly, dangerous"
NEW YORK -- Police across the country are warning about the dangers of a cellphone case that's shaped like a handgun, saying it could be mistaken for the real thing.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York is urging online retailers to stop selling the case, and police are asking consumers not to buy it. Schumer says it lacks a required orange marking that identifies it as harmless.
He says advertisements indicate the case can be displayed in a pocket, as though it's a real weapon.
He called the gun-shaped case a "disaster waiting to happen," CBS New York reports.
"It's clear that the makers of this product think that by getting one of these in the pockets of young people they're going to make some money," Schumer said. "We're here today to say it ain't worth it, stop. Online retailers, stop."
Schumer said any retailer willing to sell the cases are putting lives at risk.
"The product disturbingly promotes everything Americans are crying out against," Schumer said.
The product is being marketed as "trendy, cool, stylish," Schumer said, but instead it should be labeled as "deadly, dangerous, illegal."
Amazon.com told The New York Times on Tuesday that the item is no longer listed on its site.
The case can also be used with a Russian roulette app that transforms the phone's screen into the image of a gun barrel.
Last week, community activist Tony Herbert voiced his concerns over the product and law enforcement agencies, including the NYPD's 112th Precinct, took to social media to advise people against buying the case, CBS New York reported.
Earlier this year, a Colorado business owner made headlines for selling shirts sporting a realistic gun in holster and shoulder strap that make it appear the person wearing it is carrying openly.