History Main / GoodGunsBadGuns

* ''VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}'' only lets some of the weapons be purchased by the Counter-Terrorists or only be the Terrorist (though either team can use any weapon), and has examples of playing the typical placements straight, averting them, and inverting them:

* Both Played Straight and Subverted in the ''[[VideoGame/{{STALKER}} S.T.A.L.K.E.R]]'' series. Non-aligned Loners tend to use AK's and shotguns, though their armament can be very varied. The Bandits primarily use shotguns, AK's and [=MP5=]'s. The Freedom faction uses NATO-designed weaponry, while Duty primarily uses Soviet/CIS-made weapons. Depending on a character's alignment, any one of these could be the good guys or the bad guys. The only three factions that are non-joinable fixed antagonists are the Ukranian military, which uses Soviet/CIS weapons, the Mercenaries who use NATO-designed weapons primarily and Monolith, who use a mixture of the top tier of both.

* Licensed and unlicensed variants of the M16 and M4 are so common in the Philippines that they are much more easy to obtain in-country than even the internationally ubiquitous Kalashnikovs. Consequently, both the Abu Sayyaf and the Philippine government use them. Same for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the New People's Army. There are [=AKs=] (or more likely the Chinese version, the Norinco Type 56) reported in use here and there by local media, but only a few were smuggled into the Philippines during the Cold War. [=AK=] rifles have recently showed up again in recent years, which led to speculation from local netizens that they were either stolen from armories of private security companies ([=FYI=], Shooter Arms manufacture an [=AK=] rifle that carries the 5.56 [=NATO=] round) or obtained from [=SEA=]-based gun smugglers.

* Licensed and unlicensed variants of the M16 and M4 are so common in the Philippines that they are much more easy to obtain in-country than even the internationally ubiquitous Kalashnikovs. Consequently, both the Abu Sayyaf and the Philippine government use them. Same for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the New People's Army. There are [=AKs=] (or more likely the Chinese version, the Norinco Type 56) reported in use here and there by local media, but only a few were smuggled into the Philippines during the Cold War. [=AK=] rifles have recently showed up again in recent years, which led to speculation from local netizens that they were either stolen from armories of private security companies ([=FYI=], Shooter Arms manufacture an [=AK=] rifle that carries the 5.56 [=NATO=] round or obtained from [=SEA=]-based gun smugglers).

* Licensed and unlicensed variants of the M16 and M4 are so common in the Philippines that they are much more easy to obtain in-country than even the internationally ubiquitous Kalashnikovs. Consequently, both the Abu Sayyaf and the Philippine government use them. Same for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the New People's Army. There are [=AKs=] (or more likely the Chinese version, the Norinco Type 56) reported in use here and there by local media, but only a few were smuggled into the Philippines during the Cold War.

* In ''StarWars'' Han Solo's signature DL-44 is really a rebuilt broomhandle Mauser, normally a 'bad guy' gun.

** More generally, good guys in ''StarWars'' tend to wield pistols (Han, Leia, Luke, the rebels on the ''Tantive IV'') whereas bad guys use rifles (Stormtroopers, Battle Droids).
** Zig-zagged for the generic Rebel soldiers after the first movie - in ''TheEmpireStrikesBack'' the standard blaster rifle was based on the [=StG-44=], a weapon used by Nazi Germany. In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', their rifles were instead based on the AR-15.

* ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'' uses a vehicle-based version, as, possibly excluding the [[GunsAkimbo dual pistols]], there are no weapons exclusive to one side - Delta Force/FEAR ferry themselves around with UH-60 Blackhawks, while Armacham and the Replica transport themselves with Mi-24 Hinds.

* Most weapons of the Allied forces of WorldWarI and WorldWarII, such as the M1 Garand, Bren Gun, Sten Gun, Lee Enfield MK III or MK IV, Webley Mark VI Revolver, Lewis Gun, Maxim Gun, Vickers Gun and BAR, but especially the Colt [=M1911A1=].

** In a reversal, ''Future Soldier'' enforces this in multiplayer mode: generally, the Ghosts are restricted to using NATO weapons and Bodark to [=WarPac=] ones (the exception is the [=SA58=], a FAL variant that is also used by Bodark). As such, every time you unlock a weapon by ranking up you're given one for each faction, though at the highest level for a character, you can make one weapon available for both factions. Singleplayer ignores this, where most enemies also use AK-based weapons but the player can get access to anything.

** [[VideoGame/GoldenEyeWii The remake]] starts with the same usual Soviet-versus-NATO equipment, but then has enemies aligned with the Janus group also using NATO weapons against Bond

* Anything [[DirtyCommies distinctly Soviet/Warsaw Pact in origin]], most notably the Russian AKM and SVD rifles and their updated descendants, and the Czechoslovak Škorpion submachine gun.

** Except the [[JamesBond Walther PPK]]. The Mauser C96 also gets a free pass because of its association with [[UsefulNotes/NoMoreEmperors Republican China and the Guomindang]], and various revolutionary movements and criminal organisations worldwide, not to mention being favored by both WinstonChurchill in the real world and [[Franchise/StarWars Han Solo]] in films.

* Beretta 92F/S

* Most weapons of the Allied forces of WorldWarI and WorldWarII, such as the M1 Garand, Bren Gun, Sten Gun, Lee Enfield, Webley, Lewis Gun, Maxim Gun and BAR, but especially the Colt [=M1911A1=].

Much of this is simply because the vast majority of TV shows are made and/or set in NATO countries. The popularity of AK-pattern weapons as "bad-guy guns" is easily explained by the vast quantities of the weapon which were manufactured by the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China and sold to Third World nations during the ColdWar, which just happened to be enemies of America. Additionally, the huge quantities of AKs that got shipped all over the world meant they were so cheap that almost anyone, criminals included, could buy them by the dozen and plenty of ammunition to go with them.

* Most weapons of the Central/Axis forces during WorldWarI and WorldWarII, especially the distinctive-looking Luger and MP-40.

* Thompson M1921, especially when fitted with the drum magazine, are the weapon of choice of Hollywood gangsters.

This also happened to some extent with the film cameras used by characters. Good guys favor Leicas or beat-up old manual [=SLRs=]; bad guys prefer Nikons. (A bit of LampshadeHanging in the first season of ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'' -- the good guys use Macintosh computers, the bad guys use Microsoft.) ''WalkerTexasRanger'' actually applied this to the cars characters drove; Walker and friends drove Dodges and Chryslers, the bad guys drove various General Motors products.

This is often TruthInTelevision, though specific ones are used unrealistically. For example, the Uzi and AUG have rarely been used by actual criminals, but are often used by Western-friendly countries in real life. Many insurgent groups use many non-Soviet designs, especially as Western weapons and ammunition have become more common. In post-2001 Afghanistan, the national army and police, which are part of the UN coalition, use mainly ex-Soviet weapons, as do a lot of the British private security contractors working for Western organizations. "Good" weapons like the FAL and Lee-Enfield are now far more common among insurgents and militias than they are in national militaries.

* In a reversal, ''Future Soldier'' enforces this in multiplayer mode: the Ghosts are restricted to using NATO weapons and Bodark to [=WarPac=] ones (the exception is the [=SA58=], a FAL variant that is also used by Bodark). As such, every time you unlock a weapon by ranking up you're given one for each faction, though at the highest level for a character, you can make one weapon available for both factions.

*** ...or Japanese soldiers with FG-42's, or [=TF141=] operatives with Model 1887 lever-action shotguns, or Viet Cong with FAL's, or African militia with [=XM25=]'s, or...

* In a reversal, ''Future Soldier'' enforces this in multiplayer mode: the Ghosts are restricted to using NATO weapons and Bodark to [=WarPac=] ones. As such, every time you unlock a weapon by ranking up you're given one for each faction, though at the highest level for a character, you can make one weapon available for both factions.

* In ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty [[ModernWarfare 4]]'', you fight both Middle Eastern terrorists and Ultranationalist Russians. The Russians, while armed with [=AKs=], also have H&K [=G36Cs=], which the SAS are also frequently using. Also, ''any'' generic NPC using a pistol is using a Beretta M9. Named characters play it more straight - Captain Price's sidearm of choice is an M1911, while Zakhaev carries around a Desert Eagle.

* In ''ArmyOfTwo'', for the first few missions Salem and Rios end up fighting Iraqi and al-Qaeda soldiers who use [=AKMs=], and they fight Chinese troops later on using AK derivatives. However, during the Aircraft Carrier the Abu Sayyaf terrorists wield mostly [=M4s=] and [=M16s=], and during the Miami mission the [[spoiler: SSC mercenaries]] use [=FAMASes=].

* ''PoliceQuest: SWAT 2'' features the Z-M Weapons LR-300, an AR-15 variant, as the main bad guy weapon.
** Similarly, in ''SWAT 3'', terrorists who are heavily armed tend to use AR-15's just as often as they do AK's. However, excluding official addons, sidearms generally follow this rule ([=M1911A1=] as SWAT standard, while bad guys stick with CZ-75's and Makarovs). Meanwhile, both it and ''SWAT 4'' also have an abundance of Heckler & Koch weapons (typically bad guy weapons as noted above), but in both games they are only available to the police.
* Subverted in ''JaggedAlliance 2'' (both the original game and the v1.13 fan mod and mods of the 1.13 mod) and ''7.62 High Caliber'', a SpiritualSuccessor, by the need to rely on battlefield pickups early on if you left the default options enabled; only later may you be able to pick and choose one way or the other. In fact, while the available choice of "operators" is multinational (including a Russian veteran), the first enemies you'll encounter are usually local bandits running around with sawn-off "[=M1891=]/30" bolt-action pistols (cut-down Mosin-Nagant rifles, whose family came long before the Soviet Union).

* In ''[[VideoGame/GoldenEye1997 GoldenEye]]'', the enemies usually use [[AKA47 knockoffs of various Soviet weapons]] while Bond uses NATO weaponry. There's nothing stopping him from picking up and using their guns, though.
* Mooks in ''{{Blood}}'' who actually use guns most commonly use a SawedOffShotgun or a Thompson with a drum magazine, both of which Caleb also uses. His shotgun gets a good-gun pass due to all the zombies, but his Thompson still counts as a bad gun because [[EvilVersusEvil he's not exactly a good guy himself]]. ''Blood II'' mixes this up a bit, with the return of the shotgun and machine pistols [[GunsAkimbo wielded in pairs]], but it also prominently arms characters with Beretta 92s and M16s.

* Pretty much averted in ''OperationFlashpoint'', particularly in the campaign of the ''Resistance'' expansion pack, where you act as the leader of a [[LaResistance resistance group]] [[FightingForAHomeland fighting to liberate his homeland]] from a recent Soviet invasion. Practically all the standard guns of your partisans are either Warsaw Pact or civilian/hunting models. Most of your arsenal is therefore identical with that of the Soviet soldiers. On the other hand, there is a subversion later on, when the freedom fighters manage to acquire aid from a local NATO garrison. After this, they can also use a small supply of western firearms (e. g. FN [=FAL=]s, Steyr [=AUGs=] and M21 sniper rifles).

* ''VideoGame/GhostRecon: Future Soldier'' enforces this in multiplayer mode, where the Ghosts are restricted to using NATO weapons and Bodark to [=WarPac=] ones. As such, every time you unlock a weapon by ranking up you're given one for each faction, though at the highest level for a character, you can make one weapon available for both factions.

* The enemies in every ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' game are just as likely to use NATO weapons as they are Warsaw Pact guns. There's almost literally a 50/50 chance an enemy {{Mook}} has of carrying an AK-47 or an M4.

* In the Korean Western, ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' the Good bounty hunter wields a lever-action Winchester rifle, the Bad bandit uses a [[RevolversAreJustBetter Webley revolver,]] and the Weird thief uses [[GunsAkimbo a pair of Walther P38 pistols.]]

* In ''{{Avalon}}'', protagonist Ash carries a PPK and SVD, and at one point borrows a broomhandle Mauser. Later, she trades her PPK for a dead player's Polish Radom pistol.

* In New Series ''Series/DoctorWho'', UNIT and {{Torchwood}} are armed with H&K assault rifles.

** Except the [[JamesBond Walther PPK]]. The Mauser C96 also gets a free pass because of its association with [[UsefulNotes/NoMoreEmperors Republican China and the Guomindang]], and various revolutionary movements and criminal organisations worldwide. Also because the C96 was one of ''WINSTON CHURCHILL'S'' favourite weapons,

* The Uzi and the MAC-10.
* The QBZ 95/97 with exceptions. The QBZ-97, the export version of the QBZ-95, is commonly seen in the hands of mercenary type EliteMooks. In the film 2012, when used by the PLA, they are "good". But in games with the PLA as the antagonists such as Operation Fashpoint: Dragon Rising, they are "bad". An inversion is in the Chinese developed game, "Passion Leads Army" where the QBZ family are "good" and the AR-15/AK are "bad". Makes sense considering the protagonist is the Chinese Army.

* In ''GhostRecon: Advanced Warfighter'', enemy soldiers are equipped with NATO weapons instead of the standard AKs. [=AKs=] are available in multiplayer matches for use by anyone.

** There was a bit of an attempt to justify it - Zakhaev is an arms dealer, so his forces carrying [=G36s=] is borderline excusable. Zakhaev using a gold-plated [[HandCannon Desert Eagle]] (one-handed, no less) is not.

* Most weapons of the Allied forces of WorldWarI and WorldWarII, such as the M1 Garand, Sten Gun, Lee Enfield, Webley, Lewis Gun, Maxim Gun and BAR, but especially the Colt [=M1911A1=].

* Most weapons of the Allied forces of WorldWarI and WorldWarII, such as the M1 Garand, Sten Gun, Lee Enfield and BAR, but especially the Colt [=M1911A1=]

** Except the [[JamesBond Walther PPK]]. The Mauser C96 also gets a free pass because of its association with [[UsefulNotes/NoMoreEmperors Republican China and the Guomindang]], and various revolutionary movements and criminal organisations worldwide.

* In ''VForVendetta'', the government Fingermen use Berettas. Creedy uses a massive revolver.
** Only in the movie. In the graphic novel, they use .38 caliber revolvers, possibly Colt Police Positives.

* [=M1/M1A1=] Thompson, often seen being used by American GI's in WorldWarII movies.

* Most weapons of the Allied forces of WorldWarI and WorldWarII, especially the Colt [=M1911A1=]