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Cell phone gun (courtesy technobuffalo.com)

“Minnesota senators voted unanimously Wednesday to ban cellphone cases that resemble handguns,” blogs.mprnews.org reports. “The bill would prohibit the manufacture, sale or possession of phone cases in the state that look like a pistol or another firearm. Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, said the cases are dangerous because they could too easily be mistaken for a real weapon.” And then…? What? You did notice, of course, that the bill was passed unanimously. That would be 39 Democrats and 28 Republicans. Even though he voted for the bill, one Republican expressed misgivings . . .

Sen. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, expressed some hesitation, saying there could be tough calls in determining what’s illegal.

“This seems to be a slippery slope of enforcement of how we’re going to start deciding how something looks ‘similar to a gun’ or not,” Westrom said.

Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, held up a picture of a case that he said was a “dead ringer” for a pistol.

“Someone raises it to answer the phone and it looks like they’re raising a gun,” Latz said.

So Gopher State residents have the right to keep and bear arms. As long as they get a state-sanctioned permit to buy one (“military-style assault weapons” and handguns), a state-sanctioned permit to carry one and, soon, the gun looks like a gun (according to the state’s interpretation).

Looks like I’m going to have to buy one of these things just because I can. You?

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68 COMMENTS

  1. Incorrect headline?

    Set to ban cell phone cases that look like guns, not guns that look like cell phone cases…

    • Yep I just saw the same thing at guns.com Usually they just ban guns that look like guns

    • At least this one doesnt say “OMG! Minnesota Set to Ban Guns That Look Like Cell-Phones. OMG!”

    • They blew it and used the wrong picture too. Thats the Ideal Conceal .380, a real gun that is approved by BATFE and does not fall under NFA. I do think the gun grip cellphone case is a stupid idea and potential Darwin Award winners are using them. I guess the Gov can regulate stupidity even though they write Law that can’t be applied to them.

  2. Personally I don’t find these appealing but, as an AR owner I’ll never be on board with banning a gun for cosmetic features.

    • Well since they don’t appear to be banning any guns (but rather cases that look like, but are not, guns) based on the actual text of the story I don’t think it’s an issue.

  3. Banning things because of looks? Why don’t the dems go back to thir original ban? They made free blacks illegal. Or is it just the voting public they want to put under heal? Or all free people here in the USA?

  4. Uh, the Bill of Rights protects our right to bear arms, not stupid cell phone cases.

    “Looks like I’m going to have to buy one of these things just because I can. You?”

    No.

    • Thats the same twisted logic antis use try and justify ammo bans…. “The second amendment protects the right to have a gun, not ammo or magazines.”

      • Well, your ability to possess a phone case that looks like a gun really has no effect on your ability to purchase, possess, train with, carry, or otherwise use a gun. Ammo and magazine bans are SLIGHTLY different.

        • I’m with Hannibal and Chief Master, we should just ban all the things that aren’t specifically protected by the Constitution. Once everything is banned imagine how much safer we’ll all be!

      • Waving around something that looks like a gun can be classified as a threatening action, not protected by 1st or 2nd Amendment.

        • Binder, that’s absolutely correct. But they didn’t ban an action, they banned an object. Brandishing is a crime and not protected. But simply owning an object is.

        • But if you brake the law if you use the product as intended, how can it be legal?

        • binder, that’s a really big IF, and you are defining someone else’s intent prior to ownership or use. As an example, many people believe that an AR is only for mass murder. So we should ban them because using them as intended is illegal.

      • K. The 1st Amendment has nothing to do with owning cell phone cases either.

        There’s no real Constitutional reason the State can’t legislate the issue.

    • Technically yes, as long as it can’t be fired while still folded. If it can fire while looking like a phone than its an AOW according to the NFA. Have you actually seen the cases they are talking about? It’s like an air soft glued to an otter box. Someone waving one around probably should be shot to protect th e gene pool.

        • It’s basically a Sig grip glued to a black box. Think about it To actually use the phone would involve you literally doing a draw and bringing the phone into your workspace to see the screen. For about 270 degrees around you, your screen would not be visible, just a dude talking to himself cradling a gun in his hands. This product will kill someone.

  8. Wait til they phones that look like shoes……..

    If you get the reference you will be showing your age.

    • How about a shoe that is both a phone and a gun? A Smart Shoe!
      I am not getting any younger.

      • you could have a high capacity boot, stiletto, or pump.

        maybe a “GET Smart” edition that included the phone too.

    • Uhhhm, agent 86 used it to contact Control, when he wasn’t being dopey in front of 99.

      Reruns

    • The license plates on my 2016 Smart car say “AGENT86″… and yes, I do call it “Max”

  9. Well, at least I can still have my gun that looks like a teddy bear… or my teddy bear that looks like a gun. Meh…I have both cause I can. /s

  10. A device that looks like gun is stupid. I can see some idiot with gunphone at the scene of an active shooter. Darwin in action. This ban will give opportunity to improve the gene pool.

    • This is my thought as well. Stupid people, doing stupid things, usually takes care of itself.

  11. Any idiot can see the two holes in the top of it, and most security people will ask you to turn it on, or run it through a scanner.

    It’s about as obvious as the Sneaky Pete holsters, which have the SP logo on them so anyone can tell it’s really a holster.

    It’s hard to beat a naa mini revolver. It’s smaller and you have 5 rounds.

    • Be nice to SneakyPete, they have their emblem on their cellphone cases, too. And your gun is completely concealed, it (should) take a warrant to inspect it.

  12. Is the cell phone gun an urban legend or a real product? We may never know. When is the last time you saw a pen gun or a pager gun?

    • That’s because those are NFA regulated AOW’s. Paying and waiting for the stamp makes them niche for manufacturers, and assasins probably just get them from their government handlers. Folding gun is fine as long as it can’t shoot while folded.

      • Huh? What makes them AOWs? I really doubt that. You don’t see them because CC is legal all over the place, just get you a gun, forget the goofy toys.

        • Disguised guns are regulated. Umbrella guns, suitcase guns, pen guns, they all fall under AOW. Pen guns are cheap and easy to build. You’d see them at gun shows if they were legal. But there’s a tax stamp, registration, and the wait, so its not an impulse buy anymore.

        • “Since 1968 these gadget type guns, with their cousins the pen gun, umbrella gun, ring gun, and others, have been considered ‘Any Other Weapon‘ by the BATFE under the National Firearms Act. This means that these devices, just by the nature of being crafty hidden guns, became crazy regulated regardless of capacity or lethality.”

          http://tinyurl.com/cn2hppf

  13. In my opinion one should carry a handgun that one can not only defend themselves with but also fight with and this gun isn’t it.

        • If a toy gun looks like the real thing, then waving around can be classified as a threatening action, not protected by 1st or 2nd Amendment. If using a product the way it is intended, In this case waving it around, is a illegal act, should the product be banded?

  16. Welllllll…it does look a bit like the goofy Taurus Curve…jus’ sayin’.

  18. It might be better to show a picture of those stupid cases instead of the picture of the gun that looks like a cell phone.

  19. So they are set to ban things that look like guns. What about toy guns? Props? Pictures? Creatively chewed Pop Tarts?

  20. Ben inanimate object that resemble other inanimate objects. Becasue guns. And because stupid.

  21. Embarrassing, nanny state stuff. I hate laws to protect the lowest intelligence in our country, but were so programed for it that it can be hard to have a rational conversation about personal responsibility. Pick our battles, I guess.

  23. This is one time I can sort-of let the issue slide.

    Sort of. I agree that this is ridiculous, but there’s at least a justifiable desire for weapons to be easily identifiable and visually separate from non-weapons.

  26. Folk the Government. Do as you wish, refuse to comply. Shoot anyone that try’s to enforce unconstitutional crap.

    That is all.

Comments are closed.