Senator Charles Schumer is calling it a "disaster waiting to happen."
Schumer says a cell phone case that's shaped like a realistic handgun could be mistaken for the real thing.
"It’s irresponsible and stupid,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. “Nothing good is going to come from it, it serves no legitimate purpose.”
The case circulating for sale online is made for iPhones and replicates a gun. Law enforcement officials say it looks close to the real thing. When placed in your pocket or seen using your phone, police will mostly likely think it’s real.
“Early evening an officer pulls up alongside and sees that it’s probably going to turn into a high risk felony vehicle stop,” said Apple.
And if pointed in the direction of law enforcement, Apple said it can make a split second decision even harder.
“It’s a joke until a person points that at an officer in a dim low light situation and gets shot,” said Apple.
Seen in a YouTube video, when using a Russian roulette app, it can even transform the screen into the image of a gun barrel. The case has also been the talk statewide and Schumer called it “deadly.”
“If a police officer sees someone a kid or anyone else walking down the street like this it’s going to create danger. And that’s why the NYPD has joined with me today in asking the federal government to ban the iPhone grip gun case,” said Schumer on Tuesday in New York City.
E-Bay and Amazon have reportedly stopped selling the case, but it still can be found on other websites. Apple says he wants to see it taken off for good.
“It’s going to create a public safety nightmare quite honestly and we want it off the market,” said Apple.
Apple says, so far, the cases have not been seen in area stores, but he says he will be speaking to legislators to make sure it does not end up on the streets.