NYC area authorities warn consumers not to buy gun cell phone case

theGrio REPORT - Several law enforcement agencies across the New York Area are warning consumers that it would be a bad idea to buy a new cell phone case that resembles a gun.

Blue Telusma

Jul 4, 2015

Several law enforcement agencies across the New York Area are warning consumers that it would be a bad idea to buy a new cell phone case that resembles a gun.

There is a handle attached to the case that makes it look like someone is carrying a weapon.

“My reaction would be you’re asking for trouble with that,” Bethpage resident Johnny Martin said.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office posted the following message on its Facebook page,

Please folks — this cell phone case is not a cool product or a good idea. A police officers 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.

“It’s something that could be easily mistaken for a weapon in the daylight, much less in darkness,” Nassau County police Inspector Kenneth Lack told WABC. “If somebody had this in their back pocket and a police officer comes upon them on a core stop or they’re just walking to the deli to get a coffee, chances are that that person would be stopped at gunpoint, thrown down on the floor, handcuffed and that item removed.”

In the wrong scenario, the phone case could prove deadly.

“If your children currently have it, please take it away,” Lack said. “It’s not something they should have on them. It will absolutely only get them in trouble.”

The toy gun cases generally come from overseas and range in price from $4 to $9 online.