What Does the 🔫 Gun (Pistol) Emoji Mean?

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How to use the vibrant 🔫 (pistol) emoji on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and more

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: January 29, 2024 Fact Checked

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Pistol Emoji

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🔫 (Pistol) Emoji Meanings

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Using the 🔫 (Pistol) Emoji

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Replying to the 🔫 (Pistol) Emoji

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Similar Emojis

Do you feel confused after seeing the 🔫 (pistol) emoji in a text from someone? You may find yourself wondering what, exactly, the other person meant—are they being serious or joking around with you? The 🔫 emoji, also called the gun, water pistol, or squirt gun emoji, can represent everything from water guns to real guns—but its meaning is playful and fun more often than not. Keep reading for a complete guide to the 🔫 emoji, including all of its uses in text and social media, plus how to respond to it in any scenario!

Things You Should Know

The 🔫 (pistol) emoji mainly depicts a toy water gun and can be used to refer to water-related activities such as water gun fights, water sports, and swimming.
The 🔫 emoji also has a lighthearted, playful vibe and is often used between friends to jokingly threaten or tease one another.
In the past, the 🔫 emoji looked like (and represented) a real gun and may occasionally still be used to discuss guns and gun violence.

Section 1 of 5:

Pistol Emoji

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The pistol (or gun, squirt gun, or water pistol) emoji 🔫 represents toy water guns and water-related activities. It also conveys a joking tone over text and can be used to tease someone over text playfully.
- Unicode: U+1F52B
- Alt code: ALT + 128299
- Short code: :pistol:

Section 2 of 5:

What does the 🔫 (pistol) emoji mean?

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The 🔫 emoji symbolizes a toy water gun. Because the 🔫 (pistol) emoji depicts a bright green gun with red and yellow accents, it’s pretty clearly not a real gun; rather, the 🔫 emoji represents a water gun—which shoots out a stream of water when used. Thus, the 🔫 emoji generally relates to not only water guns but also any water-related activity, such as water fights (using the guns), swimming, and water sports.^{[1]
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- “Omg, I just got the perfect toy for our pool party this week! 🔫”
- “Think I might need a 🔫 to stay cool in this weather!”
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The 🔫 emoji conveys a joking or playful tone via text. Sometimes, people use the 🔫 emoji when they’re being teased or gently made fun of over text (usually by a friend). In response, they use the 🔫 emoji to jokingly scold their friend, as though saying, “Stop teasing me, or else!” Therefore, the 🔫 often has a playful, lighthearted feel to it.^{[2]
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- Them: “I’m gonna show your crush that video of you tripping at the store! 🤣”
- You: “Nooo, don’t you dare!! 🔫”
- Them: “LOL, fine 🤫”
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In the past, the 🔫 emoji represented a real gun (and gun violence). Even though the current 🔫 emoji does not depict a real weapon, the original version of the emoji did—and it used to represent guns, violence, frustration, and anger. Those meanings aren’t common now (since the emoji changed in 2016), but you might encounter them from time to time—especially since there are no other gun emojis.^{[3]
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- “Learned how to shoot a real 🔫 at the range today.”
- Various platforms originally depicted this emoji as a classic handgun (normally a pistol or revolver), though most had changed to the water gun version by 2018.

Section 3 of 5:

Using the 🔫 (Pistol) Emoji

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Make plans or chat about water-related activities with the 🔫 emoji. When you’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned beach day, an afternoon of goofing off in the pool, or even just a water gun fight in your backyard, use the 🔫 to convey your eagerness! Ask your friends when they’re free—and type the 🔫 emoji when you bring up different water-themed activities to do together.^{[4]
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- “It’s supposed to be suuuper hot this weekend. 🔫 fight at my place?”
- “Wanna hang out at my pool tomorrow? 🔫💧🌊”
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Clarify when you use the 🔫 emoji to talk about real guns. You likely won’t find yourself discussing actual guns with the 🔫 emoji often since it’s designed to look like a water gun. Still, it’s possible to use the 🔫 emoji to talk about weapons rather than water toys; just make sure the person you’re texting knows what you’re really talking about!^{[5]
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- “Found the coolest gun in my Fallout game today! 🔫”
- “My grandpa says he wants to talk me hunting. 🔫 Idk if I want to go, though.”

Section 4 of 5:

Replying to the 🔫 (Pistol) Emoji

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Suggest fun activities when someone uses the 🔫 emoji to make plans. If you’re on the receiving end of an invite to hang out at the local pool or lake beach (or just do something wild involving water guns), bring a few ideas to the table. Suggest a game of water gun tag (where you use water guns to tag people instead of hands), for example, or just express interest in an all-out water gun fight!^{[6]
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- Them: “Say I had two of those REALLY big water guns. 🔫 Any ideas on what to do with them? ”
- You: “Um, YES. Ever heard of water gun tag? 😎”
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Play along when a friend responds to your teasing with the 🔫 emoji. When your friend uses the 🔫 emoji to playfully scold you for teasing them, one of the easiest ways to respond is to simply run with the bit! React like they’re actually holding you hostage with a water gun and jokingly back down from making fun of them. If you want to make it clear that you know it’s all a joke, throw in a 🤣 (laughing) emoji too.
- Them: “Careful! You DARE tease me? 🔫”
- You: “Uh oh!! No, please, I yield! 🤣”
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React to someone’s statement if they use 🔫 to discuss real guns. Occasionally, someone may bring up actual guns with the 🔫 emoji—whether it’s a story from their own life or simply a piece of the latest news concerning weapons or guns. When that happens, offer up your earnest thoughts on the information they share with you. For example:
- Them: “Apparently, my sister’s been learning how to shoot. 🔫”
- You: “Oh, yikes. Not sure if I could do that, I find guns kinda scary.”

Section 5 of 5:

Similar Emojis

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Use the 🔫 emoji with other emojis related to water and summer fun. While the 🔫 emoji is really the only gun-related emoji that currently exists, plenty of other emojis express a sense of playfulness and are often associated with fun water and warm weather activities. So, when you’re using the 🔫 emoji in that context, try pairing it with other emojis, such as:
- 💧 (Droplet emoji)
- 💦 (Sweat droplet emoji)
- 🌊 (Water wave emoji)
- 🌞 (Sun with face emoji)
- 🌴 (Palm tree emoji)
- 😎 (Smiling face with sunglasses emoji)