(Newswire.net — July 7, 2015) — For many smartphone users, a phone case is the absolute necessity. These covers can vary from simple protective shells to status symbosl that send a message. However, the gun-shaped iPhone case could send the wrong message to the wrong person and put the owner’s life in jeopardy.
Retired New Jersey state trooper and firearms instructor Al Della Fave revealed that if someone reaches for a cell phone stored in their back pocket, his first thought is that they are reaching for a gun, CNN Money reported.
Dellla Fave, who is also a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey, shared a Facebook (FB, Tech30) photo of the iPhone case that he found on a closed social media site for cops. The photo displays what appears to be a handle of the gun, sticking out of the back pocket of a pair of jeans. Other photos reveal that the gun handle is actually an iPhone case in the shape of a semiautomatic compact pistol.
If a teenager reaches for his phone while in the presence of a police officer, the consequences could be fatal. “The first thing they’re [police officers] going to see as it’s coming up is the trigger guard and the butt of the gun. This doesn’t seem like a good idea at all to me,” Della Fave wrote.
The phone case is sold online by various retailers at prices from about $5 to $49 and comes in several different colors, according to CNN Money.
Officially, there is no comment on this by the Police Department, however, police officers are reacting on social networks. “I would NOT suggest purchasing this cell phone case, which was designed to look like a firearm,” tweeted an NYPD police officer from the 112th precinct of Queens, NY.
It is not clear who manufactures the case, but “if it’s on a web, it is out there somewhere,” Della Fave said.
In addition to this story, CNN Money refered to a ‘Russian roulette’ application that allows you to play this deadly roulette. There is a photo of a gun on a cellphone display that from afar could look like the player is holding a real gun.
“The app means you can play games of Russian Roulette at parties!” said Japan Trend Shop, in its online product description. “Don’t worry, you can’t actually shoot anyone!” the description reads, leaving out that someone who believes his life is in danger and who has a real gun, might actually shoot you.