Apple Receives Petition To Ban The NRA's Practice Range App

The NRA's Practice Range app has caused more than its fair share of controversy, with critics claiming that it is both inappropriate and insensitive. Originally, the game was rated for ages four and up, something that likewise stoked the embers into a flame of outrage and prompted a change to ages 12 and up. Now Apple has received a petition that seeks to have the game banned.

The game is rather simple: gamers are presented with a virtual shooting range populated with targets of various sizes and shapes, as well as a firearm. Guns include handguns, rifles, assault rifles, and sniper rifles. The weapon is then fired at the virtual target by aiming, then tapping the screen. All things considered, there's nothing particularly violent or otherwise disagreeable about the game.

Except, of course, that a school shooting just took place, the game was released on the shooting's one month anniversary, and the nation has been engaged in heated debates over firearms lately. As such, and especially because one of the weapons available in-game is an assault rifle, critics feel the game is, at best, poorly timed, and at worst that it is a deliberate political jab. Because of this, a petition has surfaced over at Sign On requesting that Apple pull the app.

Says the petition, "Apple: The National Rifle Association's new app "NRA: Practice Range" is an insult to the victims of gun violence, having been launched on the one month anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting. Out of respect for the victims and to signal Apple's support for common sense measures to help end gun violence, we call on you to rescind your approval of this shameless new product."

[via CNET]