(Photo: CNNMoney)
Chalk it up as another win for the hoplophobes, as presumably they have convinced Apple to replace its revolver emoji with a green water pistol in the latest version of its iPhone operating system, iOS10.
One will recall that last year New Yorkers Against Gun Violence started a campaign called, “DisarmTheiPhone.com” in an effort to get Apple to nix the emoji “as a symbolic gesture to limit gun accessibility.”
It’s not entirely clear whether Apple’s decision was in response to pressure from this particular gun-control organization or whether it was in reaction to the larger anti-gun sentiment that persists in this country, but either way, the gun emoji will be no more.
“Apple has stood up to the bullying tactics of the NRA and gun industry by showing that there are many more life-affirming ways to express oneself than with a gun,” said Leah Barrett, NYAGV’s Executive Director on Monday, as reported by CNNMoney.
Meanwhile, at least one pro-gun group, the Second Amendment Foundation, was quick to respond to the decision.
“This doesn’t just border on the absurd, it completely crosses the boundary,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb in a press release. “This is the sort of intolerance that comes from letting the gun prohibition lobby get away with demonization and hate.”
“While this story seems ridiculous on its face,” Gottlieb continued, “it raises alarms about the totalitarian mindset behind this kind of decision. This is no longer just about the Second Amendment, it’s about First Amendment rights, too. It shows that the gun prohibition lobby is so strident that they want to ban images of fake guns.”
Gottlieb indicated that president Obama and, his likely successor, Hillary Clinton bear some of the blame for fostering the current anti-gun atmosphere.
“There is no doubt that anti-gun comments by President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton help further this type of atmosphere,” Gottlieb said. “This is a perfect example of politically correct extremism, and at what point does even a tolerant society like ours need to draw the line?”
The removal of the revolver is just one of several changes Apple is making to the emoji repository. Along with the gun swap, Apple is going to include emojis that depict women doing certain jobs, e.g. a female construction worker, a female detective, a female police officer. There will also be emojis for single parents, female athletes, and a pride flag.
The new P.C.-friendly emojis will officially roll out this September when iOS10 becomes available.
This is beyond absurd. I already hate the way Apple greed charges you a premium for anything you do with their equipment. The rich think they are beyond the reach of the rest of us. Political pandering and PC (can you say Democrat?) have no place in the retail world. I agree with Alan Gottlieb that it encroaches on a First Amendment issue. Remember the girl in kindergarten that was suspended for bringing an actual Disney water gun to school? How F U is that? Time to sell off all my Apple devices. That was the last straw!
Just do away with the stupid “kill zombies” games. Replace them with games that actuall hone shooting and survival skills. I don’t think learning to run around killing for fun is very constructive.
I’m not saying ban the others. But I do think we can do better.
PUSSIES, just how whipped can a big outfit this get? I will NEVER buy an Apple anything. This should be embarrassing to Apple corp.
(Sarcasm ON) 😭 It’s about the CHILDREN! If it saves ONE LIFE!!! 😭. (Sarcasm OFF). Seriously? Nobody ain’t got time for that crap! Let me get my emojis in now while I can still exercise my First Amendment right to free speech. 🔫💣⛓🗡⚔🚬🔪⚰💊💉🕳🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫
So you’re saying removing a game isn’t worth it to save one life? You sound like you need a shrink!
Maybe so but I’m sane enough to know that it’s a cartoon and not a real gun.
The CEO is a an unAmerican anti-Constitutionalist (unless its something in the Constitution that promotes his gay agenda) Hillary worshiper. What else would you expect. Boycott Apple.
I would think this level of STUPIDITY would be enough to have our Founding Fathers rolling in their Graves for sure!
My question is why? Who does this offend, why are people even offended by this. I am sick for all the Candy asses being offended by all of the gun related issues.
America has sunny to a new level of anti offenders.
What next Captain Crunches sword?
Really if people are so offended by this type of stuff avoid it not punish the masses because your a candy ass!
Enough already grow a pair, pull up your big boy or girl or in between panties and move on.
You can use whatever bathroom you feel like now in this country as I am seeing on the news….or as I call it the world of stupid meet the easily jaded, or brainwashing of the how can we piss people off now networks.
Really have to ask what’s next?
Will someone please tell the gun-banning idiots in New York that emojis are only harmless cartoon characters.
Lol…..
And this my friends, is why apple stock is in the toilet. I will hack into hillary’s computer again and see if she has apple stock.
Dumbasses.
how about replacing truck/car emojis with something else too? and eliminating emojis with all tools, forks, knives, spoons… and finally eliminating all flag emojis but ISIS.
Yeah and let’s ban baseball bats, hammers and axes as well as cars and trucks, all of which kill many more Americans every year than guns.
Silicon Valley liberal weanie commie cupcake twinks.
Apple is nothing more than another liberal/NAZI/communist troll. I buy nothing that is made by Apple. They are to damed expensive anyway.
Apple was finding that many iphone users were peeing their pants when they saw the wheel gun pic……
OH Come ON get real this is freaking retarded, and no I don’t give a damn about political correctness, F-CK this BS. I was born in a country were long ago in a different time I had certain freedoms. And now they are gone and this BS government there a bunch of pushovers wanting to control everything we do this S-it needs to end it is a freaking clip art image, OH wow it wants to make you get a gun. NEWS FLASh I remember when I was a kid and this other boy filled a freaking water pistol with acid OK so don’t tell us it is friendlier your so of it Apple wake up and stop just stop kissing ass. and hey America GET SOME BALLS.
If everyone would wake up to the scam that is this potus election between Hilary and her “trump card” sheep in wolf’s clothing supporter, and ELECT GARY JOHNSON, we could have both our full Constitutional Rights and social tolerance. Women Workers and Pride Flag are nice additions to the emoji set. The “reasoning” behind the changes is sad. Orwell’s1984 was not supposed to be a guidebook! 😜🔫
Meanwhile, Apple added a “shooting the bird” emoji with iOS8. WTF? I guess Apple likes vulgarity more than tools of freedom. 🙄 Thankfully we have the eyerolling emoji, for now.
Great idea getting rid of the “pistol” emoji because as everyone knows this will save lives!!! After all was it not the governments complete fabrication that a video that incited the riots in Benghazi??? Actually it’s people that kill people so to really knuckle under to political correctness, apple should get rid of EVERY emoji that resembles a person. All of them!!!!!! Apple, your company has become a den of PUSSY’S!!!!!!! (so make sure you keep that emoji to constantly remind yourselves of that fact)
What a laugh! As if Apple is relevant anymore! Apple has returned to its roots, like when Steve Jobs was fired. They are now like GM, in the sense that ingenuity and improvisation are no longer the path to success. Business is all about political correct-heid.
If a poptart chewed into the shape of a handgun or holding your fingers in the shape of a handgun is a punishable offense in schools, then what kind of double standard are we teaching our kids if a squirt gun can be sent in a txt??!!! Tell me that makes sense!?!?! Freakin Liberal Turds!!! Mind boggling MORONS!!! .
..Soon as my contract is up, will be saying bye,bye, apple. Just another Liberal “bend over” business I will not support.
I feel so much safer now. Like many, I’ve been concerned about the accidental discharge of the iRevolver while talking on my iPhone. /SARCASM
And BTW, WTH? “Gottlieb indicated that president Obama and, his likely successor, Hillary Clinton …” His likely successor? Successor of what? Greatest liar in history?
LOL. I put that in there because I wanted to make sure folks are paying attention. Hillary is leading in the polls! If we don’t all get out and vote this November, she will be the next POTUS!
In the remote possibility that evil grandma Clinton does get elected, apple better have a noose and handcuffs emojis ready.
Damned! Always when you think that the tar pit has already been hit there is someone or something coming and throwing the bottom of madness some miles further down. Are these people smoking Crystal Meth all the day?
Good thing I never bought anything from Apple. To be honest, I still got an old Nokia mobile phone with me. Yes guys, this one is perfect: It can make and receive telephone calls and it can write, send and receive SMS! Isn’t that great? I don’t need a touchscreen to shove stupid pictures from stupid people from left to right or otherwise. I also don’t want that Google knows where I am exactly walking around (scared me off when my father showed me this on his new Iphone). And if I want to make a chat or send an offline message, I stick to my laptop and the Chinese QQ software. There are dozens of emoticons and not even the Chinese government or Tencent (the company that made QQ) would freak out on these. I have a revolver (just looks like the original Apple one), a sword where there is blood dropping off, a cleaver with the same blood effect and a bomb. All in the standard version, nothing invented by users. And I could send these to my Chinese friends around and no one would freak out. I tell this to you guys because I know that actions like this you normally expect from countries like China but not from a “free” country like the USA.
By the way, I know school shootings are a huge problem in America but if they now freak out about every little text message with a bomb, gun or whatever sent to school in a simple text message and charge those kids for doing so, I do believe this goes too far. I even go so far as to say that this is just another step on the way to Big Brother state until no text messages are allowed anymore. Even a happy smiley could be a threat. I mean who could say that the big grin smiley wasn’t meant in a sneering way?
And this goes to all these people that were “fighting” to ban this evil antichrist satanic revolver from Apple: A real homicidal person won’t send you a text message at all. He/She just comes around and then, without any warning, starts to shoot and kill you. Yes, you, the ones that then will wonder how this can still happen, as you were thinking that it can’t happen anymore because you were already successful in banning all these evil emoticons from your Iphones. Freaks!
Vanity – the world of the liberal.