Bumble is banning images of guns from its dating platform. Knives and other weapons, too. In the wake of yet another school shooting, the company decided that "it’s time to state unequivocally that gun violence is not in line with our values, nor do these weapons belong on Bumble." So for anyone who thinks their personality best shines through with a gun in hand, there's still Tinder.

Bumble's CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told The New York Times that it will handle images of firearms similarly to how it handles nudity and hate speech: Its 5,000-strong team of moderators will flag gun images and have them removed from the app. That doesn't mean the user is banned, and he or she can appeal the process if the gun is being used for a sporting activity like hunting, Herd said. But sans images of eager romantic prospects brandishing the occasional hand gun or semiautomatic, she says users, especially women, will feel much safer and less threatened while swiping through their options.

“This is not a politically driven decision, nor a decision driven by hatred of people’s personal beliefs or choices,” she said. “Not everyone’s going to love us for it, but it’s the right thing to do.”



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Bumble's decision comes from the right place. Like Delta and other companies ditching the NRA, this is a reaction to the mass death of high school kids that we can point to as actual change. It's better than the half-assed attempts that Facebook and Twitter make after every mass shooting or act of domestic terrorism—and is certainly more than anything happening on the floor of our nation's capitol. That's worthy of applause.

But when it comes down to it, I would want to know right off the bat if someone I was considering going on a date with was a gun nut. Like, immediately. Before wasting even a swipe and a "hi, how's your week," and definitely before taking time out of my gun-free life to meet up with them in person. As far as I can tell, the only foolproof way of sussing that situation out is by seeing a photo of a dude proudly toting a firearm and making the safe decision for myself to swipe the hell left.

I would want to know right off the bat if someone I was considering going on a date with was a gun nut. Like, immediately.

(Herd acknowledged in an interview with Time that other women have brought this up, but said, "Once we walked them through our logic, they actually really understood and appreciated where we were coming from.")

Bumble is a dating app. People date based on good looks, personality, and interests. Guns are a huge part of someone's interests—and if they're a gun rights person, their personality. Put one into a photo, and my decision to not date that person just got a million times easier to make.

Sarah Rense Sarah Rense is the Associate Lifestyle Editor at Esquire, where she covers tech, food, drink, home, and more.

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