X kills the water pistol: the firearm emoji is back

Between 2016 and 2018, an emoji disappeared from the repertoire of many platforms: The handgun was turned into a water pistol. Now X, formerly known as Twitter, is taking another step back. On the X website, the handgun is making a comeback and replacing the water pistol. X has not disclosed why the change was made.

The developer responsible announced on X that the "weapon emoji has been returned to its rightful form: An M1911". The look of the emoji is not yet finalised: In the future, it should look "more badass". Elon Musk, CEO of X, also commented that the firearm will soon be used again on mobile devices. Reactions to the innovation on Musk's platform have been overwhelmingly positive. Whether Google, Microsoft, Apple and co. will follow X is questionable, however.

From revolver to water pistol to pistol

Apple was the first company to replace the revolver with the water pistol in its systems in 2016. This was possibly in response to the many deaths and injuries caused by the use of firearms in the USA and the resulting heated debates about gun laws in the country. The hashtag #DisarmTheiPhone did the rounds and put pressure on Apple.

For the change, Apple worked with the Unicode Consortium. This is a non-profit organisation founded in 1991 that manages the Unicode standard. It plays a key role in the implementation of characters in computer systems and also recommends the inclusion of new emoji in the Unicode standard.

Following Apple's lead, the other major platforms also downgraded their revolver by 2018 and changed it to a water pistol. This was welcomed by people calling for more gun control. Other opinions noted that the emoji disarmament will do little to change gun violence itself.

If you are travelling on X and already miss the water pistol: We have real water pistols in the shop. This will quickly cool down the tempers that often boil over there.