BELLEVUE, WA – The decision by Apple executives to replace a cartoon revolver emoji with one of a squirt gun is a “combination of childishness and anti-gun demagoguery,” the Second Amendment Foundation said in response to the announcement.
“This doesn’t just border on the absurd, it completely crosses the boundary,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “This is the sort of intolerance that comes from letting the gun prohibition lobby get away with demonization and hate.”
Apple announced that the emoji swap would happen in September. It’s part of an update of the iPhone and iPad iOS 10, and the change has already been cheered by anti-gun groups.
“Now that they have bullied Apple into changing its emoji from a cartoon revolver to a water pistol,” Gottlieb wondered, “how long will it take the gun banners to demand that the squirt gun be removed?
“While this story seems ridiculous on its face,” he 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.
“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?
“Maybe gun owners should think twice about buying any more Apple products,” he concluded, “unless they include a rotten Apple emoji.”