Not necessarily violent due to the way the hand is held. However, it is not personally appealing and would bother me without some slight adjustment.
This is very much a matter of personal taste and a very fine line. Because of that, I would not have chosen that image for the cover. Inside the magazine, I would not really have had any problem with it other than a passing glance, at which point I would probably have chosen to turn the page because it's slightly disturbing.
Then again, I do not make the decisions for that magazine so it's none of my business, other than a decision to purchase or not. I would not purchase that issue, although I might purchase other issues.
Obviously, the publisher wanted to push the edge, and they succeeded, as evidenced by the public outcry over the photo. It will be interesting to see if it has any effect on their bottom line for that particular issue.