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Any girl who is not a stranger to dating apps like Bumble or Tinder has had their fair share of swipes on guys holding guns, a fish they caught or an animal they just shot.
Guys holding up fish on their profile is so huge that it became a meme. Even the New Yorker made a joke post about guys holding up dead fish.
But fish holding, gun toting, dead dear days are over on Bumble. The dating app’s CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told The New York Times that they’re banning all photos of guns from their 30 million users on the platform.
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Following the Parkland, Florida school shooting Bumble has decided to take a stronger stance against guns. They’re not alone. A massive amount of companies have severed ties with the NRA or have clarified where they stand on gun control.
“We just want to create a community where people feel at ease, where they do not feel threatened, and we just don’t see guns fitting into that equation,” Herd said.
Like most things Bumble does their ban on guns and weapons is well thought out. Around 5,000 moderators will be sifting through the platform’s users removing gun-related images. But Bumble will not censor gun images on users’ Instagrams. Users can link their Instagram profile to their Bumble profiles. If they post a photo of a gun on their Insta it will show up on their Bumble.
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The company will not be removing images of people in the military and law enforcement, who post photos of themselves in uniform carrying a firearm or weapon.
“This is not super black and white,” Herd said. “It’s a very tricky battle we’ve chosen to taken on, but I’d rather pursue this than just ignore it.” Herd also notes that people can appeal to keep their photos up, like if you were a professional competitive shooter.
She notes that not all users who post photos with guns encourage violence, but under the recent circumstances and conversation about gun violence Herd would rather take a proactive approach. Herd also told The New York Times that eventually will filter out written mention of guns.
On top of Bumble’s widespread gun ban, they have also donated $100,000 to March For Our Lives, an organization started by Parkland survivors about gun violence.
“This is not a politically driven decision, nor a decision driven by hatred of people’s personal beliefs or choices,” Herd said. “Not everyone’s going to love us for it, but it’s the right thing to do.”
