Apple replacing pistol emoji with water gun

Apple is trading a pistol emoji for a green squirt gun in the latest version of its iPhone and iPad operating system, according to a new report.

Apple’s change appears as it beta tests iOS 10 ahead of a planned release this fall, CNN Money said Tuesday.

Apple is replacing the pistol emoji with a green water gun in the next version of iOS 10 https://t.co/QEvA2jS1lb pic.twitter.com/CSonJbhsNj

— CNN (@CNN) August 1, 2016

CNN Money said the emoji swap is one of several changes to Apple’s library of popular icons announced Monday.

Apple is also introducing new and revamped images that show women performing stereotypically male professions including construction, detective work and policing.

The tech giant is additionally debuting new emojis depicting female athletes, a pride flag and family options for single parents.

CNN Money added Google, Samsung, Facebook and Twitter all have realistic pistol emojis still available on their platforms.

Microsoft, another tech leader, has long used a toy gun instead of a pistol in its Windows operating system.

BuzzFeed reported in June that Unicode, the governing body that oversees emojis, vetoed a proposed rifle image.

Apple and Microsoft, which are both Unicode members, argued against the Olympics-inspired icon in May.

CNN Money said Tuesday that the pistol and other weapon emojis have occasionally resulted in legal trouble for users.

NBC 4 Washington reported last year a middle school student in Virginia faced charges for allegedly menacing her school using bomb, gun and knife emojis.

A New York City teen was arrested in late 2014, meanwhile, for posting pistol emojis at police emojis in an alleged threat.

CNN Money said Tuesday the charges were later dropped in both cases.