Minnesota lawmakers want to make a push to ban the sale of novelty cell phone cases that are shaped like handguns.
State Representatives Joe Atkins and Dan Schoen announced last week that they want to propose a bill that would ban the manufacturing, sale and possession of gun shaped cell phone cases in Minnesota. The problem, however, is that the Minnesota Legislature won’t reconvene until March, and the phone cases are becoming more popular among teens and young adults.
Representative Atkins and Democratic lawmakers are urging retailers not to sell the novelty cases for the time being. Atkins said the items are dangerous and “a disaster waiting to happen.”
The gun shaped cell phone cases are marketed as a novelty product, but they’ve caused safety concerns at the state and national level. Officials fear an officer will mistake the product for an actual handgun, which could lead to a tragic outcome.
Avery Appelman comments
The problem with these cases is that the teens who use them aren’t thinking about the potential consequences of their actions. They see the cases as a fun way to prank their friends or as a unique case that nobody else in their friend group has. No, the cases can’t cause any physical harm, but they can cause emotional harm or a physical reaction from someone who doesn’t realize it’s a fake gun.
Off the top of my head I can think of a handful of ways these items can end in disaster.
- A teen takes one to school, inciting panic among other students.
- An officer witnesses a teen pull the fake gun on a friend, and he responds with his gun drawn.
- A teen pulls out the fake weapon at a gas station or business that doesn’t realize the gun isn’t real.
- A teen feels a gun barrel on his temple and has a panic attack or becomes emotionally affected, only to realize it was a friend with one of these fake guns.
The small laugh or shock value a person might get when they whip out one of these novelty items doesn’t outweigh the potential dangers that come with a fake weapon. Kids and teens have been shot by police officers for possessing BB guns and airsoft guns before, and there’s no reason to think the trend won’t continue if people continue to buy these phone cases.
