Apple changed their gun emoji into a toy / water gun while others retained a realistic gun. An innocent message could become a criminal threat under the right circumstances. At least, it could be misinterpreted as a criminal threat, effectively shifting the burden to the sender to show that they meant "I am going to shoot you in the face with a water gun" instead of "I am going to blow your head off", Mr. Elected Official.
On the other hand, language has always been subject to wide-ranging interpretation so this isn't really new territory at all. We have countless examples of words or phrases that take on very different meanings in different parts of the world, or even country.
On the other hand, language has always been subject to wide-ranging interpretation so this isn't really new territory at all. We have countless examples of words or phrases that take on very different meanings in different parts of the world, or even country.