History Main / FantasyGunControl

* More or less averted in history. The medieval formula for gunpowder had been written two centuries before the Catholic Church officially acknowledged the existence of witches. Furthermore, the use of the arquebus, the matchlock, and flintlock did nothing to stop occultists from penning grimoires well into the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. In the minds of many during these periods, both magic and firearms were a part of daily life.

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': In Berserk's fantastic setting, where magic can reshape the landscape in a matter of moments and strong swordsmen sometimes end a fight scene on a literal mountain of bodies, the exclusion of firearms from the story is heavily [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]].

** On one hand, just about all armies and navies make extensive use of cannons, to the point where the objective of the first raid that Griffith makes Guts participate in is to set the enemy camp’s gunpowder stockpile on fire. Young mechanical prodigy Rickert is able to cobble together an ArmCannon for Guts using parts that Godo had lying around the shop—which can fire a roughly billiard-sized cannonball for massive damage against monsters—and later produces goodies for Guts or himself such as mini bombs and a shoulder-fired rocket launcher. The giant Grunbeld also has a personal cannon built into his shield.
** The big caveat that makes the trope still present is that so far the aforementioned one-off gadgets are the only personal firearms we’ve seen at all. The conventional design of an arquebus or pistol doesn’t exist anywhere. Instead, massed archery continues to dominate in battle alongside field artillery. It kind of makes sense in-universe because arrows and crossbow bolts are frequently shown to [[ArmorIsUseless pierce plate armor]]. On top of that, Guts and Rickert have AutomaticCrossbows, and two-shot crossbows are fairly widespread, whereas every gun we’ve seen is single-shot.

** The big caveat that makes the trope still present is that so far the aforementioned one-off gadgets are the only personal firearms we’ve seen at all. The conventional design of an arquebus or pistol doesn’t exist anywhere. Instead, massed archery continues to dominate in battle alongside field artillery. It kind of makes sense in-universe because arrows and crossbow bolts are frequently shown to [[ArmorIsUseless pierce plate armor]]. On top of that, Guts and Rickert have AutomaticCrossbows, and two-shot crossbows are fairly widespread, whereas every gun we’ve seen is single-shot. Creator/KentaroMiura showed his work here: historically it did take a long time for personal firearms to conclusively supplant bows, because until the introduction of reliable rifles in the mid-19th century, the main advantage of infantry gunpowder weapons was ease of use rather than firepower or effective range (English longbowmen had to start training as children).

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' has [[TheGunslinger Percy the gunslinger]], who invented the gun after [[spoiler:making a deal with a demon.]] This is explicitly seen as a bad thing; Percy shows a lot of regret with his invention, and [[spoiler: his rival, Dr. Ripley, stole his blueprints and sold them on the black market.]] Throughout campaign 1, he is one of the few people with access to guns, with black powder being seen as a useless byproduct. Eventually, however, he does produce more and forms Whitestone's Riflemen, realizing that he'll be unable to stop their spread. By the time campaign 2 rolls around, guns are more widespread across Exandria, with a few of The Gentleman's henchmen wielding rifles.

** The big caveat that makes the trope still present is that so far the aforementioned one-off gadgets are the only personal firearms we’ve seen at all. The conventional design of an arquebus or pistol doesn’t exist anywhere. Instead, massed archery continues to dominate in battle alongside field artillery. It kind of makes sense in-universe because arrows and crossbow bolts are frequently shown to [[ArmorIsUseless pierce plate armor]]. On top of that, Guts and Rickert have AutomaticCrossbows, and two-shot crossbows are fairly widespread, whereas every gun we’ve seen is single-shot. If that’s the case, maybe a gun is only justified if it’s a {{BFG}} that can cause serious destruction with one shot.

In RealLife, the Chinese first pioneered the use of gunpowder for warfare in the 10th century. By the 14th century, they as well as the Europeans and other peoples were making significant use of cannons, handcannons, and other firearms in their armies (for example, the English used organ guns alongside their famous longbows at the 1346 battle of Crecy). By the early 15th century significant quantities of the infantry (especially those meant to defend static positions) were carrying handcannons and full cannons had almost completely replaced traditional artillery, meaning the popular view of gunpowder as a post-medieval invention is incorrect. In fact, the popular image of a knight wearing full plate armor - itself a 15th century invention - actually came well after gunpowder weapons became common. The Europeans invented the arquebus and improved the cannon to fire iron balls in the mid-15th century, and from there, the technology spread and improved rapidly. By end of the 16th century, 1 in every 2 soldiers on European battlefields wielded a firearm (arquebus, musket, carbine, or pistol) as his primary weapon. Fantasy Gun Control shows up most often in fantasy (hence the name) but can appear in any genre.

In RealLife, the Chinese first pioneered the use of gunpowder for warfare in the 10th century. By the 14th century, they as well as the Europeans and other peoples were making significant use of cannons and handcannons in their armies. By the early 15th century significant quantities of the infantry (especially those meant to defend static positions) were carrying handcannons and full cannons had almost completely replaced traditional artillery, meaning the popular view of gunpowder as a post-medieval invention is incorrect. In fact, the popular image of a knight wearing full plate armor - itself a 15th century invention - actually came well after gunpowder weapons became common. The Europeans invented the arquebus and improved the cannon to fire iron balls in the mid-15th century, and from there, the technology spread and improved rapidly. By end of the 16th century, 1 in every 2 soldiers on European battlefields wielded a firearm (arquebus, musket, carbine, or pistol) as his primary weapon. Fantasy Gun Control shows up most often in fantasy (hence the name) but can appear in any genre.

* Famously averted in ''Anime/PrincessMononoke''. Lady Eboshi manufactures matchlock muskets in Irontown, which are a [[FirearmsAreRevolutionary complete game-changer]] in this HistoricalFantasy version of Japan: iron musket balls from her weapons mortally wound both the Boar God and Moro the Wolf God, and are light enough to be used effectively against attacking {{samurai}} by her militia. This is TruthInTelevision: after acquiring and copying muskets from Portuguese traders in the 15th century, Japan ended up at one point having more gunsmiths than existed in all of Western Europe.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and its sequel ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' are an interesting case. Guns don't appear, although by the second series technology has progressed to not just cars, radios, and skyscrapers, but [[spoiler:biplanes, plasma cutters, and even ''MiniMecha'']]. This is explained by the fact that rudimentary early firearms wouldn't have stood a chance against powerful [[ElementalPowers benders]], especially the [[ExtraOredinary metal-benders]]. However, gunpowder and other explosives are quite prevalent and used in both war and terrorism. One cannon is even seen as early as the first series. In the final season of ''Korra'', [[spoiler:Kuvira's [[FantasticNuke spirit energy]] WaveMotionGun]] bears great resemblance to a real-life railway cannon, and is referred to as such. Given the nature of the series overall, where almost anyone can manipulate elements into lethal ranged weapons at will, the concept of a firearm is a bit...redundant. Most "cannons" seen in both series are more channeling devices for benders than true independent weapons.

In the interest of creating a medieval setting that feels sufficiently [[YeGoodeOldeDays romantic]], [[MedievalMorons low-tech]], and/or in line with TheThemeParkVersion of history, many authors decide not to include guns and other explosives in their works. Sometimes reasons are given for this, and sometimes not. Note that in RealLife, Europeans had some knowledge of what gunpowder was in the 13th century and started to use cannons and hand firearms in the 14th century, meaning the popular view of gunpowder as a post-medieval invention is incorrect and in fact, the popular image of a medieval knight wearing full plate armor actually came after gunpowder weapons, in the 15th century. Fantasy Gun Control shows up most often in fantasy (hence the name) but can appear in any genre.

Something to note is that this primarily applies to fantasy set in the typical MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting, with castles, swords, knights, and so on. UrbanFantasy tends to have no problem mixing guns and vampires, witches, wizards, etc., since that form of {{Fantasy}} tends to use the modern world as we know it. The same goes for ScienceFantasy, where the intent is to MixAndMatch things like laser guns and spells. More horror-oriented fantasy works also tend to avert it -- if werewolves and vampires are featured, {{Silver Bullet}}s are likely to be used. When it comes to {{Fairy Tale}}s, the trope is absent. Occasionally, a MageMarksman would use guns in conjunction with magic, or as a catalyst for casting spells.

* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'': The Dimension of Lame has this in place, though not for the usual reasons. It's not that they don't have the technological capacity to build guns, it's just that every single being in that universe is a die-hard pacifist. Even tapeworms are polite and friendly and inexplicably sapient. Their most advanced weapon is a NUKE (Notification of Unified Kindness' Envelopes), the "NUKE" blankets the area with thousands of polite yet stern letters. (This is considered a weapon of absolute last resort, as it is littering!) Their greatest psychopath, after months of training, manages to bring himself to hit a demon in the toe with a mallet before having a breakdown and apologizing.

Something to note is that this primarily applies to fantasy set in the typical MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting, with castles, swords, knights, and so on. UrbanFantasy tends to have no problem mixing guns and vampires, witches, wizards, etc., since that form of {{Fantasy}} tends to use the modern world as we know it. The same goes for ScienceFantasy, where the intent is to MixAndMatch things like laser guns and spells. More horror-oriented fantasy works also tend to avert it -- if werewolves and vampires are featured, {{Silver Bullet}}s are likely to be used. When it comes to FairyTales, the trope is absent. Occasionally, a MageMarksman would use guns in conjunction with magic, or as a catalyst for casting spells.

* ''Series/ShadowAndBone'' [[AvertedTrope averts]] this. The [[RedshirtArmy Ravkan First Army]] wields rifles, Jesper is a [[TheGunslinger gunslinger]] par excellence, and in one scene, two [[WitchHunter Drüskelle]] make use of a [[MoreDakka water-cooled machine gun]] against Ravkan infantry.

* Famously averted in ''Anime/PrincessMononoke''. Lady Eboshi manufactures matchlock muskets in Irontown, which are a [[FirearmsAreRevolutionary complete game-changer]] in this HistoricalFantasy version of Japan: iron musket balls from her weapons mortally wound both the Boar God and Moro the Wolf God, and are light enough to be used effectively against attacking {{samurai}} by her militia. This is TruthInTelevision: after acquiring and copying muskets from Portuguese traders in the 15th century, Japan ended up at one point having more gunsmiths than existed in all of Western Europe.

* ''Manga/{{Wolfsmund}}'': The Swiss rebels use a few handgonnes[[note]]an early firearm consisting essentially of a mortar tube on the end of a stick[[/note]] during the assault on the Wolfsmund fortresses, which they consider to be almost as dangerous to their wielders as to the Habsburg occupiers. Other than that, ranged weapons are limited to crossbows, ballistae, and catapults.

* ''Manga/{{Wolfsmund}}'': The Swiss rebels use a few handgonnes during the assault on the Wolfsmund fortresses, which they consider to be almost as dangerous to their wielders as to the Habsburg occupiers.

Something to note is that this primarily applies to fantasy set in the typical MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting, with castles, swords, knights, and so on. UrbanFantasy tends to have no problem mixing guns and vampires, witches, wizards, etc., since that form of {{Fantasy}} tends to use the modern world as we know it. The same goes for ScienceFantasy, where the intent is to MixAndMatch things like laser guns and spells. More horror-oriented fantasy works also tend to avert it--if werewolves and vampires are featured, {{Silver Bullet}}s are likely to be used. When it comes to FairyTales, the trope is absent. Occasionally, a MageMarksman would use guns in conjunction with magic, or as a catalyst for casting spells.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''
** The anime introduces gunpowder-based weapons as the arsenal of Jillas, a humanoid fox minion of the third season's BigBad Valgaav. He has access to guns, bombs, and even built a primitive tank. This was given a certain justification in that Jillas came from a region with less magic; without magic, people had to come up with other ways to do things -- and "other ways" include [[spoiler:building a ballistic missile as powerful as a Dragon Slave]].
** In ''REVOLUTION'', it's revealed that Seyruun has at least adopted cannons, and it's hinted they're designed by Jillas.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'' is fully aware of the time period it is set in, where firearms are growing in popularity but haven't quite reached Japan yet. So when one of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Band of Seven]] has guns, they're just {{handwave}}d as being imported. Before the arc is over, he gets turned into a [[RuleOfCool tank with missiles]].

** There's a Vietnam-era rocket launcher and a WWII-era Zero fighter aircraft appear in the first season. Being from Earth the natives don't know how they work. Colbert learns how to make gasoline for the plane and the fact that the Zero fighter still has ammunition in the second season suggests that SOMEONE learned to make bullets. A Howitzer appears in season 3.

* ''Manga/{{Drifters}}'' actually uses this as a plot point. The eponymous Drifters, being sucked from various ages and times in our world, range from those used to fighting with nothing but swords and arrows, to the Wild Bunch (with six-shooters and an early Gatling gun) and a Japanese Zero pilot. The world they're dumped in, however, is roughly around the same era of advancement as 1100's Europe, with no real machinery and firearms being a near-complete unknown. One of UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga's first tasks is to get large supplies of sulphur and charcoal and to start the creation of a saltpeter pit for gunpowder, and practically creams himself when he sees how far ahead of muskets the Wild Bunch's firearms are. The Drifters are explicitly changing the rate of technological expansion at a breakneck pace every time they're brought in, and it's even stated directly by the guy who summons them that it's one of their primary purposes -- to force the world to advance well beyond the pace it normally would.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' applies this unevenly, as it tends to with its technology. Firearms are confined to basic muskets and considered all but useless outside of peacekeeping operations. On the other hand, cannons and artillery rounds are fairly advanced and considered vital for the defense of the Walls. Flare guns are standard equipment for the Survey Corps, with colored gunpowder being used as a major element of their communication system. Pistols do seem to exist, though don't seem to be very common outside the criminal elements. [[spoiler: It turns out that the lack of advancement in firearms is ''intentional'', with the SecretPolice murdering inventors of newer firearms as a threat to the government. The members of the elite [[InternalDeathSquad Anti-Human Suppression Squad]] use custom-made revolvers to hunt down and slaughter rebellious elements within the military. Completely subverted with the introduction of the world beyond the walls, where technology is roughly that of circa-First World War, and thus use guns liberally.]]
* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': The basic premise is modern army versus fantasy armies, and just how screwed the latter are in the face of rapid-firing guns. The only time the army even considers giving guns to the locals is when they work together to take out a dragon; The difference in tech is so alien to the locals they see them only in a Freudian light.
* ''LightNovel/HowARealistHeroRebuiltTheKingdom'': There aren't guns in this world, not because they don't know how to make them (cannons from the Victorian era exist), but because due to how magic works, bullets are simply not as useful as enchanted arrows or spears -- the amount of enchantment you can put on an object is directly related to its size and weight, and weaponry enchantment is nigh-required to break through defensive enchantment, so bullets, despite being fast, are too light to cause damage against foes.
* Taken to an extreme in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', forget about not having gunpowder. Despite having technology that looks to be 14th Century and later, the soldiers of that island don't even have bows or crossbows! To hit Yoma from a distance, they rely on tossing spears and the occasional throwing knife. The only archer that appeared in the series, is the [[EldritchAbomination Abyssal One]] Isley, and his "bow and arrows" were organic extensions growing out of his hand. Near the end of the series, bows do show up in the hands of a militia but for about a few panels.
* In ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' this is a major plot point in the first arcs when the action still took place in the Old Scrapyard. The Factory authority only ever enforced two rules, which strictly forbade the possession of aircraft (so that the populace couldn't reach [[FloatingContinent Zalem/Typhares]]), and firearms, so no resistance could stand a chance against the Factory forces. Since the Barjack War, after the Factory power crumbled, no one seemed to care anymore, and in ''Last Order'', where the action goes into space, there are guns galore.
* In ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' guns exist, but due to RolePlayingGame mechanics acting like laws of physics the damage a gun does is determined by the [[GamingStatTropes stats]] of the gun's wielder rather than the velocity and mass of the bullets. This means that guns are no better in a fight than bows and arrows, and there's only one country where anyone bothers to use guns.

* ''ComicBook/{{Grimjack}}'' includes firearms... but since the city of Cynosure exists in multiple dimensions, the natural laws of any given neighbourhood may not let them work.
* ''ComicBook/{{Necrophim}}'': Guns are simply impractical because gunpowder spontaneously explodes when brought near a furnace. In prog 1665, one of Astaroth's lieutenants recruits five real-life firearms engineers to develops guns that will function correctly in FireAndBrimstoneHell.

* ''ComicBook/DungeonTwilight'': The BigBadWannabe tries to invert this by executing blacksmiths so his nitro guns become the only weapon available for his father's empire since the army still prefers blades. It doesn't help that he tries doing that before even making sure his nitro guns work.

* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Despite its ambiguous setting, the clothes and architecture resemble those from the Victorian Era, but the only ranged weapons are javelins and crossbows.

* In ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', some of the munchkins are seen wielding muskets, and the Scarecrow has a revolver when he goes with Dorothy to find the Witch. None of them are actually used, however.

* ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai'' featured a storyline where the extra-dimensional demons the Rangers were facing began arming their troops with rifles. As the Samurai Rangers were almost exclusively armed with non-long ranged weaponry (the blue ranger had a bow), they greatly outclassed until developing their own ranged ordnance: the Bullzooka. [[note]]This story paralleled historical conflicts at the end of Japan's Edo period when samurai were outmatched by soldiers armed with rifles.[[/note]]
* ''Series/IntoTheBadlands'': Explicitly invoked. The series takes place in a distant future, after an UnspecifiedApocalypse. Humanity has rebuilt itself into a feudal society with more modern technology, but the Barons all agree to ban guns entirely. This is, more than anything else, done to HandWave the need for kick-ass kung fu fight scenes.
* In the second season of ''Series/DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency'', there's Wendimoor, an alternate fantastical world with medieval-level tech and some magic. The villainous Mage, who has been trying to conquer this world, learned how to cross to ''our'' world after [[spoiler: the young RealityWarper who created Wendimoor had a stroke and broke the storyline]], and has imported AK-47s, both to give his men an edge, and to [[LetsYouAndHimFight encourage a war]] between his enemies.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** The lack of any firearms in large part is what allows Daenerys to essentially wield their fantasy equivalent of weapons of mass destruction unimpeded; pretty much nothing can match a dragon, even when they're still young and vulnerable, giving her the most powerful offensive weapon in the world, that just continues to get more deadly and unstoppable as her children grow.
** Also, while the Iron Fleet act as a stand-in for Vikings, their boats are more akin to those used during the UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy and their combat tactics resemble those a lot more. However, as they lack the weaponry of classical pirates, they make do with regular bow and arrows and catapults rather than pistols or cannons (they don't even use crossbows, despite those explicitly being a thing).
** While guns aren't a thing yet, a minor plot point is how the weapon technology of the setting is slowly evolving. There didn't use to ''be'' a need for more than a sword or a bow back when magic was widely used, but after the fall of Valyria and the extinction of dragons, magic largely disappeared, and recently people have been trying to create new weapons to compensate. As part of the backstory, Aerys Targaryen had devised a flame-throwing weapon in an attempt to recreate the power of the dragons his ancestors had once commanded and made extensive use of a napalm-like concoction called wildfire. Crossbows are becoming more widely used and advanced, and scorpions (essentially giant crossbows wielded like a {{BFG}} turret) are being developed to combat Daenerys' dragons. The advancement in projectile weaponry and the advancement of explosive weapons coinciding gives the feeling they're only a decade or two away from someone thinking to combine the two.

* ''Webcomic/TableTitans'': There's a new class in Fallen Veil that uses rune-powered guns, which the party can't play of course.
* ''Webcomic/AtArmsLength'': True for the most part, as most of the magical beings prefer bladed or wooden weapons, or use magical-based spells and projectiles for attacks. Still averted in a few cases, such as Ginger, [[http://atarmslength.smackjeeves.com/comics/1327703/games-monsters-play-59/ who packs a WWI-era Colt M1911]], as well as an unseen minotaur who was mentioned by Sheila to have been carrying a .44 Magnum when they encountered him.
* ''Webcomic/NoScrying'': Justified. Firearms are both illegal and blasphemous on account of being associated with "Infernium", an extremely nasty and devastatingly poisonous substance which is itself believed to have the power of {{Hell}}. The fact that firearms tend to be manufactured and used by the [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman despised underclass of goblins]] to give them an edge against {{Knight|InShiningArmor}}s and [[ThePaladin Paladins]] surely can't be relevant.
* ''Webcomic/{{Middleways}}'': Justified, as the atmosphere of Middleways is different and doesn't allow for traditional combustion. A variety of alternatives and workarounds are employed by people from Earth, like using glorified potato-guns to fire amrit-negative spheres.
* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'': Zig-zagged. Drow do not use black powder-based weaponry, as their natural mana-based abilities are just as powerful and get more powerful as they get older. However, so-called "goblin" races such as dwarves and humans do, occasionally using crude blunderbusses as a way of evening up the odds.
* ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'': Other than the faux-cute atmosphere, Erfworld is a pretty standard fantasy world, so swords and bows with the occasional magical RayGun device. [[spoiler:Then Charlie reveals he's used epic magic to create modern weaponry, with the added bonus of an enchantment that provides an InstantExpert ability to anyone holding one (which is important, because it is impossible for an Erfworlder to use a gun with any sort of proficiency without this enchantment). At one point, Lilith sends Parson an image of herself committing suicide with a pistol, and there is a very long pause as Parson digests the full implications of that]].

* ''Literature/ChaosFighters'': Played with, as explained by [[http://http://journal-of-murazrai.xanga.com/767855119/page-134-random-chaos-fighters-tidbit-7/ word of god]]

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' has [[TheGunslinger Percy the gunslinger]], who invented the gun after [[spoiler:making a deal with a demon.]] This is explicitly seen as a bad thing; Percy shows a lot of regret with his invention, and [[spoiler: his rival, Dr. Ripley, stole his blueprints and sold them on the black market.]] Throughout campaign 1, he is one of the few people with access to guns, with black powder being seen as a useless byproduct. Eventually, however, he does produce more and forms Whitestone's Riflemen, realizing that he'll be unable to stop their spread. By the time campaign 2 rolls around, guns are more widespread across Exandria, with a few of The Gentleman's henchmen wielding rifles.

* ''WesternAnimation/PiratesOfDarkWater'' has guns that are actually some sort of acid-spraying or dart-throwing creature encased in a tube, with a grip and trigger much like a pistol. Much of their technology is based on the indigenous ecology of Planet Mer. Like [[AbnormalAmmo using a sea star as a shuriken.]]

In the interest of creating a medieval setting that feels sufficiently [[YeGoodeOldeDays romantic]], [[MedievalMorons low-tech]], and/or in line with TheThemeParkVersion of history, many authors decide not to include guns and other explosives in their works. Sometimes reasons are given for this, and sometimes not. Note that in RealLife, Europeans had some knowledge of what gunpowder was in the 13th century and started to use cannons and hand firearms in the 14th century, meaning the popular view of gunpowder as a post-medieval invention is incorrect. Fantasy Gun Control shows up most often in fantasy (hence the name) but can appear in any genre.

Expect lots of EpilepticTrees about EnforcedTechnologyLevels and other FanWank over why. If guns are present, but {{nerf}}ed -- whether for Gameplay reasons or RuleOfCool -- it's GunsAreWorthless.

In the interest of creating a medieval setting that feels sufficiently [[YeGoodeOldeDays romantic]], [[MedievalMorons low-tech]], and/or in line with TheThemeParkVersion of history, many authors decide not to include guns and other explosives in their works. Sometimes reasons are given for this, and sometimes not. Note that in RealLife, Europeans had some knowledge of what gunpowder was in the 13th century and started to use cannons and hand firearms in the 14th century, meaning the popular view of gunpowder as a post-medieval invention is incorrect. Fantasy Gun Control shows up most often in fantasy (hence the name), but can appear in any genre.

Something to note is that this primarily applies to fantasy set in the typical MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting, with castles, swords, knights and so on. UrbanFantasy tends to have no problem mixing guns and vampires, witches, wizards, etc., since that form of {{Fantasy}} tends to use the modern world as we know it. The same goes for ScienceFantasy, where the intent is to MixAndMatch things like laser guns and spells. More horror-oriented fantasy works also tend to avert it--if werewolves and vampires are featured, {{Silver Bullet}}s are likely to be used. When it comes to FairyTales, the trope is absent. Occasionally, a MageMarksman would use guns in conjunction with magic, or as a catalyst for casting spells.

** On one hand, just about all armies and navies make extensive use of cannons, to the point where the objective of the first raid that Griffith makes Guts participate in is to set the enemy camp’s gunpowder stockpile on fire. Young mechanical prodigy Rickert is able to cobble together an ArmCannon for Guts using parts that Godo had lying around the shop—which can fire a roughly billiard-sized cannon ball for massive damage against monsters—and later produces goodies for Guts or himself such as mini bombs and a shoulder-fired rocket launcher. The giant Grunbeld also has a personal cannon built into his shield.
** The big caveat that makes the trope still present is that so far the aforementioned one-off gadgets are the only personal firearms we’ve seen at all. The conventional design of an arquebus or pistol doesn’t exist anywhere. Instead, massed archery continues to dominate in battle alongside field artillery. It kind of makes sense in-universe, because arrows and crossbow bolts are frequently shown to [[ArmorIsUseless pierce plate armor]]. On top of that, Guts and Rickert have AutomaticCrossbows, and two-shot crossbows are fairly widespread, whereas every gun we’ve seen is single-shot. If that’s the case, maybe a gun is only justified if it’s a {{BFG}} that can cause serious destruction with one shot.

** There's a Vietnam era rocket launcher and a WWII era Zero fighter aircraft appear in the first season. Being from Earth the natives don't know how they work. Colbert learns how to make gasoline for the plane and the fact that the Zero fighter still has ammunition in the second season suggests that SOMEONE learned to make bullets. A Howitzer appears in season 3.

** It can also be argued that the necessity of guns dropped due to the difference in how battles are fought in the setting; in the Naruto universe, combat tends to be more focused on the utilization of Ninjutsu, prioritizing speed and stealth rather than firepower and direct confrontation. Guns, while still as effective as you can expect against people, are notoriously loud and therefore very much ''not'' weapons of stealth, making them of no use to a Ninjutsu user, especially when there are ranged weapons, such as kunai, which are much more in line with the ninja way. While they may make small appearances here and there, guns in the Naruto universe are a bit of a square peg for a round hole and thus unfit for use in large scale ninja-based warfare and therefore are pretty rare to find being utilized in combat.

* In ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' this is a major plot point in the first arcs, when the action still took place in the Old Scrapyard. The Factory authority only ever enforced two rules, which strictly forbade the possession of aircraft (so that the populace couldn't reach [[FloatingContinent Zalem/Typhares]]), and firearms, so no resistance could stand a chance against the Factory forces. Since the Barjack War, after the Factory power crumbled, no one seemed to care anymore, and in ''Last Order'', where the action goes into space, there are guns galore.

* ''Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'': Justified and sometimes averted. Most big-name supernaturals are by nature immune to mundane weaponry, and most competent mages can walk off normally-fatal bullet wounds without issue, so most don't bother simply because what they already have is usually more effective and destructive. However, a sufficiently specialized mage ''can'' make firearms into situational but effective weapons, as seen with [[Anime/FateZero Kiritsugu Emiya]] and [[LightNovel/FateApocrypha Kairi Sisigou]], who combined magitech guns with high explosives and more magic. ''LightNovel/FateZero'''s Berserker [[spoiler: Sir Lancelot]] also possessed the ability to make any weapon he held supernatural and thus effective, allowing him to utilize a stolen fighter plane against other Servants effectively, though tellingly despite the firing of multiple machine guns and a missile, he didn't manage to achieve anything with it except destroying Gilgamesh's flying boat, a crash Gilgamesh himself was uninjured by.

* ''ComicBook/DungeonTwilight'': The BigBadWannabe try to invert this by executing blacksmiths so his nitro guns become the only weapon available for his father's empire since the army still prefers blades. It doesn't help that he tries doing that before even making sure his nitro guns work.
* In ''ComicBook/PathfinderWorldscape'', firearms like muskets, rifles and radium guns are present in the Worldscape due to people like American Civil War veterans and Martians being drawn from different timelines and worlds. With that said, they are used sparingly due to the lack of available ammo in this realm and as such, bladed weapons are the most commonly used.

** About half of the series takes place in a fantasy world inhabited by classic fairytale characters (the Enchanted Forest), and for the most part they stick to swords and sorcery. Emma, who grew up in the World Without Magic (i.e. 21st century modern world), owns a gun and briefly tries to kill both an [[GenreBlindness ogre and a dragon with a pistol]], [[ImmuneToBullets both of which fail]]. The Enchanted Forest is a FantasyKitchenSink, however, and after Captain Hook is introduced its shown there's an entire area of the Enchanted Forest's world dedicated to piracy fantasy, with cannons and flintlock pistols shown to exist and be common, yet strangely reserved solely for naval combatants.
** Also, while he's from the Enchanted Forest, Prince Charming takes over Storybrooke's sheriff office while his daughter Emma, the previous sheriff, is trapped in the Enchanted Forest with her mother/his wife Snow White. During that time, he adapts quickly to using guns; though its shown he does prefer a sword, he's shown to not be a bad shot.

** Also, while the Iron Fleet act as a stand-in for Vikings, their boats are more akin to those used during the UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy and their combat tactics resemble those a lot more. However, as they lack the weaponry of classical pirates, they make due with regular bow and arrows and catapults rather than pistols or cannons (they don't even use crossbows, despite those explicitly being a thing).
** While guns aren't a thing yet, a minor plot point is how the weapon technology of the setting is slowly evolving. There didn't used to ''be'' a need for more than a sword or a bow back when magic was widely used, but after the fall of Valyria and the extinction of dragons, magic largely disappeared, and recently people have been trying to create new weapons to compensate. As part of the backstory, Aerys Targaryen had devised a flame-throwing weapon in an attempt to recreate the power of the dragons his ancestors had once commanded, and made extensive use of a napalm-like concoction called wildfire. Crossbows are becoming more widely used and advanced, and scorpions (essentially giant crossbows wielded like a {{BFG}} turret) are being developed to combat Daenerys' dragons. The advancement in projectile weaponry and the advancement of explosive weapons coinciding gives the feeling they're only a decade or two away from someone thinking to combine the two.
* In ''Series/TheTribe,'' a 90s and early 2000s New Zealand teen post-apocalpytic soap opera, TheCity (which is located in an unnamed country that is generically Anglophone to the point of WhereTheHellIsSpringfield) is a TeenageWasteland or warring "tribes," including one, the Locos, who terrorize the streets with an appropriated police car. But there are no guns anywhere to be found. The Locos have a police car, but not police firearms (suggesting possibly that the show's very generic setting, police pre-apocalypse didn't regularly guns, like in some European and Asian countries). When Lex gets mad enough to assassinate [[TheFundamentalist the local fundamentalist cult leader]], he arms himself with a crossbow, and the characters treat it like an instantly lethal, gamebreaking weapon. And finally, in Season 4 the city is invaded by a technologically advanced tribe with stun guns... and yet no one thinks to dust off their parent's old revolver. Clearly, the pre-apocalyptic version of whatever country the hell this is had some serious gun control.

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' only had throwing disks, explosive fruit and energy projectiles for half of its run, then introduced more gun-like weapons due to ExecutiveMeddling (they sold better than close-combat weapons), the most notable being the Cordak [[GatlingGood Gatling guns]] whose projectiles weren't magical energy blasts or {{Phlebotinum}} shells, but genuine explosives. The Zamor launchers, Midak Skyblasters, Nynrah Ghost blasters and Thornax launchers are more fantasy-esque but resemble personal, hand-held firearms. Kopaka's Skyblaster is even outfitted with a bayonet, Gali's Nynrah Ghost gun has crosshairs attached, and both have laser-sights.

* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'': Zig-zagged. Drow do not use blackpowder based weaponry, as their natural mana-based abilities are just as powerful and get more powerful as they get older. However, so-called "goblin" races such as dwarves and humans do, occasionally using crude blunderbusses as a way of evening up the odds.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and its sequel ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' are an interesting case. Guns don't appear, although by the second series technology has progressed to not just cars, radios, and skyscrapers, but [[spoiler:biplanes, plasma cutters, and even ''MiniMecha'']]. This is explained by the fact that rudimentary early firearms wouldn't have stood a chance against powerful [[ElementalPowers benders]], especially the [[ExtraOredinary metal-benders]]. However, gunpowder and other explosives are quite prevalent and used in both war and terrorism. One cannon is even seen as early as the first series. In the final season of ''Korra'', [[spoiler:Kuvira's [[FantasticNuke spirit energy]] WaveMotionGun]] bears great resemblance to a real-life railway cannon, and is referred to as such. Given the nature of the series overall, where almost anyone can manipulate elements into lethal ranged weapons at will, the concept of a firearm is a bit...redundant. Most "cannons" seen in both series are more of channeling devices for benders than true independent weapons.

** A similar situation happened in the Japanese "Middle Ages" of the Sengoku Jidia (which lasted from 1467-1617 CE). It is a common myth, spouted in stories like ''Film/TheLastSamurai'', that Samurai rejected firearms and viewed them as dishonorable weapons. However, the Samurai armies embraced the arequebus when it was brought over by the Portuguese, using it with conjunction with spears to form puesdo-Pike and Shot tactics. By the time of Japan's invasion of Korea in 1592, around a fourth of the Japanese invasion force used were equipped with guns.
* "Common knowledge" about the Middle Ages would cause most people to expect guns would proliferate only in Western Europe at first, but this was untrue already in the late Middle Ages. Among ranged weapons, firearms became almost as characteristic of the era as bows and crossbows. Even a more remote country like Ireland saw firearm usage in the 15th century. The various countries of Central Europe were increasingly adopting firearms since the start of the same century. One of the biggest instigators was the time of the Hussite Wars, when handheld firearm usage [[JustForPun exploded]] and spread through the region like wildfire, becoming a mainstay in many different armies for the first time (rather than an occasional curiosity). During the second half of the 15th century, the Kingdom of Hungary was one of the first European countries to outfit large parts of the infantrymen in its royal army with matchlock handgonnes and early arquebuses as standard issue, for specifically trained gunners, which wasn't really common yet in Europe, even with handheld firearm usage on 15th century battlefields. Matthias I Corvinus learnt from the proliferation of firearms during the Hussite Wars and in their aftermath (he fought in the latter with his relatives as a young man), and wanted to make sure Hungary would get its hands on the latest toys and field them in intimidating numbers. Every ''fourth'' soldier in the Black Army had an arquebus in the infantry, an unusual ratio by the standards of the time. Hungary's late 15th century [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Army_of_Hungary Black Army]] was also one of the first examples of a traditional European royal army adopting traits of the standing army model that would come to dominate in the early modern era.

In the interest of creating a medieval setting that feels sufficiently [[YeGoodeOldeDays romantic]], [[MedievalMorons low-tech]], and/or in line with TheThemeParkVersion of history, many authors decide not to include guns and other explosives in their works. Sometimes reasons are given for this, and sometimes not. Note that in RealLife, Europeans had some knowledge of gunpowder in the 13th century and started to use cannons and hand firearms in the 14th century, meaning the popular view of gunpowder as a post-medieval invention is incorrect. Fantasy Gun Control shows up most often in fantasy (hence the name), but can appear in any genre.

In the interest of creating a medieval setting that feels sufficiently [[YeGoodeOldeDays romantic]], [[MedievalMorons primitive]], and/or in line with TheThemeParkVersion of history, many authors decide not to include guns and other explosives in their works. Sometimes reasons are given for this, and sometimes not. Note that in RealLife, Europeans had some knowledge of gunpowder in the 13th century and started to use cannons and hand firearms in the 14th century, meaning the popular view of gunpowder as a post-medieval invention is incorrect. Fantasy Gun Control shows up most often in fantasy (hence the name), but can appear in any genre.

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'', predominantly in the original continuity, is all over the place with this. The Mobotropolians rarely use guns due to a royal decree by a past king [[DoesNotLikeGuns when his son is killed by one]]. This doesn't stop Robotnik/Eggman and his goons, the [[HumanSubspecies Overlanders]], the Humans nor the Echidnas outside of the Guardians from using them. None of the SEGA-based characters use them outside of E-102 Gamma and E-123 Omega (not even Shadow), and the only ones seen using any sort of firearms of the heroes are [[ActionGirl Bunnie Rabbot and Julie-Su]].