CNN: Apple replaces the pistol emoji with a water gun
In another capitulation to PC-culture, Apple announced Monday that they would replace the gun emoji with a water pistol emoji with the latest software update. A proposed rifle emoji that would have been released in time for the Olympics also became a victim to anti-gun culture.
The gun swap is just one of a number of emoji changes the company announced on Monday. It will also introduce new and revamped emojis that show women doing stereotypically male jobs like detective, construction worker, and police officer. There are new female athletes, a pride flag, and family options for single parents.
The water gun swap is not Apple’s (AAPL, Tech30) first foray into cartoon gun control. Earlier this year the governing body in charge of emojis nixed a proposed rifle emoji. It was one of a number of possible new additions, but Unicode Consortium members Apple and Microsoft argued against the Olympics-inspired gun, according to Buzzfeed.
The pistol and other weapon emojis have landed people in trouble with the law. A 12-year-old in Virginia was charged after allegedly threatening her school in an Instagram post that used a gun, knife and bomb emoji. A teen in Brooklyn was arrested for posting a police emoji with pistol emojis pointing at his head. The charges were later dropped.
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