(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) An Orlando amusement park was forced to push back the opening of a new laser shooting gallery game after online backlash from leftists.
ICON Park was forced to halt the new “Bullseye Blast” game after social media users slammed the game as “insensitive” in the wake of the Buffalo, Uvalde and Highland Park shootings, The Daily Wire reported.
“Some non-guests and community members expressed that they considered the toy shooting device used to be insensitive,” William Wellons, whose public relations firm Wellons Communications represents ICON Park, said in a statement.
“The attractions’ industry has many similar games which use similar shooting devices, so that is what we were limited to when exploring the game,” he continued. “However, we believe that a device can and should be designed which does not offend anyone in the community. We look forward to leading this new innovation.”
The shooting gallery game was an addition to the park’s 400 foot tall Ferris Wheel. For an additional $5.95, riders would be given a laser blaster and instructions to shoot at targets located on rooftops throughout the park.
“As their air-conditioned capsule ascends above Orlando, players scan the rooftops of ICON Park to find 50 strategically pre-selected targets with varying degrees of difficulty,” ICON Park said in an announcement on its website, via Fox 35.
“To get the highest score possible, players need to hit as many of these as possible with their laser blaster during the 18-minute ride.”
The announcement has been deleted from the park’s website.
Social media users, many of whom would likely argue that first person shooter video games do not propagate real life gun violence, reacted harshly to the announcement of the game.
How did this make it off the drawing board?! Big difference between shooting aliens/robots to practicing our sniper skills in a real-life urban area.
— Matt Jaeckel (@MattJaeckel) July 14, 2022
Wow @iconparkorlando this just seems really fucking insensitive to, idk, the hundreds of mass shootings we experience every single year. How the actual fuck did this make it through numerous eyes and hands and into the public without anyone stepping in to say, “hey maybe not”?
— 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖 ✿ (@brdgttenonsense) July 14, 2022
This is in poor taste! https://t.co/Dsb3sqTg0y
— Linda Stewart (@LindaStewartFL) July 15, 2022
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