Microsoft has decided to abandon a gun emoji that resembles a realistic looking gun in favor of one that looks more like a toy squirt gun.
Microsoft said this week via Twitter that the technology giant is “in the process of evolving our emojis to reflect our values and the feedback we’ve received.”
The company revealed a preview graphic of one of the gun emoji designs it’s working on that would replace a previous handgun emoji.
Microsoft’s (MSFT) decision that it would alter its gun emoji comes after several big tech companies have made similar changes to their respctive graphics and icons depicting weaponry.
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Google (GOOG) is currently updating its gun emoji to resemble a more family friendly squirt gun for its Android operating system, with Facebook (FB) saying it intends to do so as well for its social networking service. Other companies to have updated their gun emoji include Apple (AAPL), which announced that it would change its gun emoji in 2016, and Twitter and Samsung.
We are in the process of evolving our emojis to reflect our values and the feedback we’ve received. Here’s a preview: pic.twitter.com/BlB3yYTSht
— Microsoft (@Microsoft) April 25, 2018
The companies have decided to change their gun emoji in light of numerous mass shootings that have rocked the U.S. in recent years, including the recent school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
Updated: 🔫 U+1F52B PISTOL on major platforms 2013—2018. Now including future design from Microsoft https://t.co/ILyjRd2Rfe pic.twitter.com/57D9RYXAqB
— Emojipedia (@Emojipedia) April 26, 2018
In early April, a 39-year old shooter opened fire at the headquarters of Google-owned video service YouTube, wounding several people before killing herself.
