Google finally gives in and swaps its gun emoji for a squirt gun

In 2016, Apple removed its gun emoji and replaced it with a bright green water gun, perhaps knowing that its actions will quite possibly lead to a broader change in the whole industry. Indeed, recently Twitter exchanged its gun emoji for a water gun, and now Google is joining the crowd. And it won't be the last, as Facebook says that a toy squirt gun will replace the gun emoji on the company-owned apps, which include Facebook and WhatsApp. Meanwhile, Microsoft seems to be a rare company going in the opposite direction – around the time Apple switched to a water gun, good old MS funnily decided to swap out its laser-gun toy emoji with a more realistic-looking revolver.

What is interesting is that back in 2016, when Apple and Microsoft removed their gun emojis, Google refused to follow suit. Back then, Google's aptly named product manager Agustin Fonts said that it wanted "to be as compatible with other systems as possible." The company's art director, Rachael Been, said at the time, "We believe in the cross-platform communication so we are maintaining our gun."

But what neither of the two Googlers could have anticipated was the last straw on the camel's back, which occurred this past Valentine's Day with the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. While gun control remains a hot button topic, it appears that most tech giants-Google now included-would rather play it safe and promote a gun that squirts water instead of one that shoots bullets.

source: Emojipedia