Apple Will Swap Out The Pistol Emoji For A Squirt Gun
The change comes after gun-control advocates asked for the pistol to be removed, and some emoji users were unimpressed by the symbol’s change.
Apple will trade the pistol emoji for a toy squirt gun when iOS 10 is released to iPhone and iPad users this fall.
Apple / Via emojipedia.org
The company announced the change on Monday as part of a series of updates that aim to make emoji more diverse.
"This exciting update brings more gender options to existing characters, including new female athletes and professionals, adds beautiful redesigns of popular emoji, a new rainbow flag and more family options," an Apple statement said.
Apple / Via apple.com
The change came after advocacy group New Yorkers Against Gun Violence called for Apple to #disarmtheiphone.
In an open letter to Apple, the group called on the company to take a stand for stricter gun laws.
"We ask that you stand with the American people and remove the gun emoji from all your products as a symbolic gesture to limit gun accessibility," the letter said. "We understand taking the emoji out will not end gun violence, but this act will show Congress that gun-owning and non-owning Americans have come together to demand required background checks for ALL gun sales."
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence / Via disarmtheiphone.com
In June, Apple also spoke up in a Unicode meeting against a proposed rifle emoji.
Members unanimously agreed, and the rifle emoji was shelved.
Unicode