Apple devices, along with those of most major smart phone makers, contain a gun emoji that a controversial New York group wants removed. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Posted on 07/31/2015 10:13:01 PM PDT by Swordmaker
An anti-gun organization in New York on Thursday debuted a social media campaign to convince Apple to remove the ideogram depicting a gun from their iPhones.
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence kicked off their “Disarm the iPhone” drive this week with a website, video and press release targeting the popular mobile devices. The group cautions that the emoji, one of hundreds on the product that come preloaded from the factory, reflects the ready access to guns in the country.
“We realized that many Americans unknowingly carry a gun with them every day. The one that was given to them without a background check: the gun emoji,” reads an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The group, who made headlines for their fake New York City gun shop staffed by an actor best known for his role in a hyper violent video game, admits that deleting the gun emoji would be a symbolic gesture, but one that would be important. They feel it will show Congress that both gun-owning and non-owning Americans can come together to demand expanded background checks to include virtually all gun transfers.
Apple devices, along with those of most major smart phone makers, contain a gun emoji that a controversial New York group wants removed. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
“The gun emoji has taken root in our culture and our digital conversations,” said Leah Gunn Barrett, NYAGV executive director in a statement. “Let’s all call on Apple to get rid of the virtual gun and publicly join our call for universal background checks on all gun sales.”
While other smartphone manufacturers, to include Motorola and Samsung, also have preloaded gun symbols included in their devices, NYAGV did not include them in their campaign. Further, they do not mention The Unicode Consortium, a non-profit that works to ensure interoperability of the various smiley faces and emoticons across multiple devices.
On the site set up for the Disarm the iPhone initiative, NYAGV goes on to repeat the oft-quote statistic that 40 percent of gun sales in America are made without a background check.
This stale figure often pops up in rhetoric on gun violence in the country and has been widely debunked.
Based on a 1994 telephone survey of 251 people conducted just as implementation of the FBIs NICS system and requirements for background checks for sales through Federal Firearms License holders was coming into effect, its continued quotation was given three Pinocchios by fact checkers from the Washington Post in 2013.
Four Pinnoccios would denote a completely inaccurate statement, by the Post’s rating standard.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
What about the pill emoji! It might cause someone to say to himself, “Hey man, I just GOTTA get HIGH!!!” /sarcasm;)
OMG!!!!! A picture of a GUN! Duck and cover. STAT!
This stuff is so stupid and such a waste of time. Everyone with a brain understands why the leftists push the anti-gun propaganda for the tyrants so vehemently.
Wait, you mean Apple products have pics of guns but Android and Windows products don’t? I don’t have an Android or Winphone to check....
This has got to be one of the dumbest stunts the gun-banners have tried. Possibly THE dumbest.
A bunch of busy body, liberal retards who wake up every afternoon looking for something to piss and moan about.
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. OK, you’ve screwed up New York. You’ve got no business crossing your state line and butting into the rights of non-New Yorkers. Stay home and STFU.
Instead of removing the gun emoji, add a ‘tweezer’ emoji.
(too soon?)
Most mass shooters were on psych drugs..... the pill emoji must go.... hey hey ho ho...
Any student who carries an iPhone into school has violated that school’s “Zero Tolerance” policy and must be immediately suspended.
It’s time for these idiots to have their poke-their-nose-in-my-business attitude met with a bloody nose, and told to sit down, shut up, and go to Hades.
emojis don’t kill people...people kill people.
Not the poop! My six year old dies laughing over that.
⛽ - offensive to diesel cars
⚔ - dangerous sharp pointed objects; unsafe for kids
♫ - insulting to us tone-deaf people with tinnitus
☯ - rude to those of us with two left feet
♥ - ever been unlucky at love? You must be offended
☠ - watching your waistline? How DARE they tempt you with fries? Also, what about all the lowly fast food slaves not making a livable wage? Ban it!
☼ - I'll never have these without roids. Is Aple encouraging PEDs? It sure looks like it.
😷 - Making fun of Orientals? Heavens!
⛳ - stinking piles of crap ought not to be shown on family sites
⚑ - Where's the flag for normal people? I'm offended.
☔️ - As a Californian, I don't even recognize this. Can somebody explain it to me? Why does Apple have such nonsensical things?
☭ - Vote for Hellary? No way in Hell. Bah! Ban all emoji. They are just too offensive.
I demand that Leah change her name because it's SCARY.
I have to admit, the first time I saw that emoji I felt my gun jump a little in its holster. And I had an urge to kill someone.
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