History Main / GoodGunsBadGuns

* Subverted in the Chinese film ''Operation Red Sea'', where the protagonists - Chinese special forces - are equipped with Chinese weaponry such as QBZ-95 rifles, while the Arab terrorists wield staple Soviet weapons, typically two different sets of typically "Bad" guns. The former is justified as being law enforcement firearms, which falls into "good" category similar to other elites' adoption of "advanced" guns in comparison to terrorists' older, low-tech leftover weapons.

* Inverted and Zig-Zagged in the Chinese ''Wolf Warrior'' films, where the Chinese protagonists are armed with modern PRC weapons such as the QBZ-95, but [[{{Mooks}} the rebel forces]] they tear through use [=AKs=]. In contrast, the villainous "foreign mercenaries" in both films are armed with American weapons such as M16s, M4s, M249 [=SAWs=], or M21 rifles. Tomcat (Scott Adkins) and Big Daddy (Frank Grillo), the two American antagonists in the films, both use [=M4A1s=] as their primary weapon.

* Inverted fully in ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}''. The evil Tetragrammaton regime use "western" firearms like a Beretta 92FS, [=MP5=], FN P90, M16 carbine, and G36, all typically "good". However, Resistance members are mostly (but not exclusively) seen using BoringButPractical Soviet firearms like AK-47 variants and Scorpion machine pistols, typical "bad" guns. Justified as the government is the villainous faction with access to more "advanced" guns, typically bad gun traits.

* Discussed in ''Film/InBruges'', about two Irish hitmen hiding out in the titular city, regarding the "bad" gun Uzi.
-->'''Harry''': An Uzi? I'm not from [[{{Gangsterland}} South Central]] Los [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] Angeles. I didn't come here to shoot [[WouldntHurtAChild twenty black ten-year olds]] in a [[ClusterFBomb fucking]] drive-by. I want a normal gun for a normal person.

* Subverted in the Chinese film ''Operation Red Sea'', where the protagonists - Chinese special forces - are equipped with Chinese weaponry such as QBZ-95 rifles, while the Arab terrorists wield staple Soviet weapons, typically two different sets of typically "Bad" guns. The former can be excused as law enforcement firearms, which falls into "good" guns similar to other elites' "advanced" guns.

* Subverted in the Chinese film ''Operation Red Sea'', where the protagonists - Chinese special forces - are equipped with Chinese weaponry such as QBZ-95 rifles, while the Arab terrorists wield staple Soviet weapons, two different sets of typically "Bad" guns.

* '''Law Enforcement Firearms''': Firearms typically associated with police and government agents are also likely to be carried by "good" characters. The Glock and Beretta families of handgun are common examples favored by police forces worldwide. Their BoringButPractical (or SimpleYetAwesome) nature in the hands of a hero instantly contrasts the [[BlingBlingBang flashier and more exotic]] guns often preferred by villains. Older works and older-set works may instead give their officers double-action revolvers, such as the Smith & Wesson Model 10 in .38 caliber[[note]]With over six million units produced, making it the most common handgun in the world[[/note]]. A favorite of {{SWAT Team}}s, government agencies, and regular officers who need a step up from their sidearm, the [=MP5=] submachine gun is another very common "Good Gun" with a law enforcement basis. [[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous Elite units]] may use more "advanced"-looking weapons as an inversion of the below-mentioned "Bad Gun" portrayals. Inversions most often occur when [[TheBadGuysAreCops law enforcement is the antagonist]] of the story, or (in case of Beretta handguns) being used as a NationalWeapon of TheMafia.

* '''Gangster Guns''': Anything associated with gangsters, be they [[TheMafia Mafioso]], [[GangBangers urban]], or [[GenericEthnicCrimeGang another ethnic crime group]], tend to be "Bad Guns", depending on the time period and location. The Thompson submachine gun (aka "Tommy Gun"), particularly the early models with the vertical foregrip and [[MoreDakka drum magazine]], is ''the'' Mafia weapon. The Italian mafiosi would also use Berettas as their {{National Weapon}}s. Machine pistols such as the Uzi, TEC-9, and MAC-10 are favorites of gangbangers. Same goes for anything made by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobray_Company Cobray]], who produced the infamous Street Sweeper, one of the few guns banned ''by name'' in the U.S. TheIrishMob is often associated, especially if set during the UsefulNotes/TheTroubles, with hand-me-down American guns like the AR-18. TheMafiya will cross this over with the above Kalashnikovs, perhaps with the barrels and stocks cut for concealment. TheCartel may have any or all of these. Naturally, these are almost exclusively "Bad Guns" (Berettas notwithstanding), with the Thompson getting a reprieve in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]] works.

* ''Literature/FateZero'' Downplays this. Emiya Kiritsugu uses a Calico M950 (a high capacity, high-tech looking semi-auto handgun) as his sidearm, typically a Bad Gun (especially since he's [[MoreDakka converted it to full-auto]]), but he's a dark AntiHero, not a villain.

* Inverted fully in ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}''. The evil Tetragrammaton regime use "western" firearms like a Beretta 92FS, [=MP5=], FN P90, M16 carbine, and G36, all typically "good". However, Resistance members are mostly (but not exclusively) seen using Soviet firearms like AK-47 variants and Scorpion machine pistols, typical "bad" guns. Justified as the government is the villainous faction.

* Also inverted in many airsoft-themed anime and manga, such as ''Manga/StellaWomensAcademyHighSchoolDivisionClassC3'', where the Desert Eagle (a typically [[BlingBlingBang blingy]] looking HandCannon) often appears as a weapon of choice of the BigGood. Other inversions from the same series, Rento Kirishima, one of the nicest members of the titular club, uses an AK-47, the almost textbook example of a bad-guy gun, as her main weapon. The closest straight example goes to Karila Hatsuse, one the club's rougher members, which uses the more good-guy aligned P90 instead.

* '''Law Enforcement Firearms''': Firearms typically associated with police and government agents are also likely to be carried by "good" characters. The Glock and Beretta families of handgun are common examples favored by police forces worldwide. Their BoringButPractical (or SimpleYetAwesome) nature in the hands of a hero instantly contrasts the [[BlingBlingBang flashier and more exotic]] guns often preferred by villains. Older works and older-set works may instead give their officers double-action revolvers, such as the Smith & Wesson Model 10 in .38 caliber[[note]]With over six million units produced, making it the most common handgun in the world[[/note]]. A favorite of SWAT teams, government agencies, and regular officers who need a step up from their sidearm, the [=MP5=] submachine gun is another very common "Good Gun" with a law enforcement basis. [[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous Elite units]] may use more "advanced"-looking weapons as an inversion of the below-mentioned "Bad Gun" portrayals. Inversions most often occur when [[TheBadGuysAreCops law enforcement is the antagonist]] of the story, or (in case of Beretta handguns) being used as a NationalWeapon of TheMafia.

* '''"Advanced" Guns''': Going along with the general theme that "good" guns are often BoringButPractical, a good way to signal a villain is to give him a futuristic-looking gun with lots of "bells and whistles". Black synthetic stocks, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullpup "bullpup"]] designs (where the breech is located behind the trigger and grip)[[note]]While many NATO countries have adopted bullpup designs for their primary infantry weapons, this reputation precedes them from back when the design was still cutting edge. Most are dropping them for something AR-based, however, and China is still primarily using them, leading the reputation to stick.[[/note]], fancy scopes, laser sights, extended magazines of all sorts, silencers, muzzle brakes, etc. are all accessories that can push a standard gun into this category. Weapons by German manufacturer Heckler & Koch (often abbreviated H&K) are prime examples in fiction dating back to at least the '80s, though many of their creations (such as the [=MP5=]) have been adopted by law enforcement around the world since, giving them a split reputation.

* Also inverted in many airsoft-themed anime and manga, such as ''Manga/StellaWomensAcademyHighSchoolDivisionClassC3'', where the Desert Eagle (a typically [[BlingBlingBang blingy]] looking HandCannon) often appears as a weapon of choice of the BigGood. Other inversions from the same series, Rento Kirishima, one of the nicest members of the titular club, uses an AK-47, the almost textbook example of a bad-guy gun, as her main weapon. While Karila Hatsuse, one the club's rougher members, uses the more good-guy aligned P90 instead.

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection generally favors NATO military and/or law enforcement weapons for Counter-Terrorists and [=WarPac=] and/or cheap, widespread "gangsta" weapons for Terrorists, and applies regardless of what real-world organizations are used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s, French [=FAMASes=], and Austrian [=AUGs=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1=]s, Galils, or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists. Conversely, Terrorists having Glock as one of their starting weapons make them look more like real-life robbers or urban mass-shooters.

* '''Law Enforcement Firearms''': Firearms typically associated with police and government agents are also likely to be carried by "good" characters. The Glock and Beretta families of handgun are common examples favored by police forces worldwide. Their BoringButPractical nature in the hands of a hero instantly contrasts the [[BlingBlingBang flashier and more exotic]] guns often preferred by villains. Older works and older-set works may instead give their officers double-action revolvers, such as the Smith & Wesson Model 10 in .38 caliber[[note]]With over six million units produced, making it the most common handgun in the world[[/note]]. A favorite of SWAT teams, government agencies, and regular officers who need a step up from their sidearm, the [=MP5=] submachine gun is another very common "Good Gun" with a law enforcement basis. [[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous Elite units]] may use more "advanced"-looking weapons as an inversion of the below-mentioned "Bad Gun" portrayals. Inversions most often occur when [[TheBadGuysAreCops law enforcement is the antagonist]] of the story, or (in case of Beretta handguns) being used as a NationalWeapon of TheMafia.

* '''Law Enforcement Firearms''': Firearms typically associated with police and government agents are also likely to be carried by "good" characters. The Glock and Beretta families of handgun are common examples favored by police forces worldwide. Their BoringButPractical nature in the hands of a hero instantly contrasts the [[BlingBlingBang flashier and more exotic]] guns often preferred by villains. Older works and older-set works may instead give their officers double-action revolvers, such as the Smith & Wesson Model 10 in .38 caliber[[note]]With over six million units produced, making it the most common handgun in the world[[/note]]. A favorite of SWAT teams, government agencies, and regular officers who need a step up from their sidearm, the [=MP5=] submachine gun is another very common "Good Gun" with a law enforcement basis. Inversions most often occur when [[TheBadGuysAreCops law enforcement is the antagonist]] of the story, or (in case of Beretta handguns) being used as a NationalWeapon of TheMafia.

This certainly isn't an exhaustive list (nor is intended to be) and there are many, ''many'' models of firearm around the world that do not neatly fit within this binary. Some "Good Guns" in one time period may evolve into "Bad Guns" or vice versa. For example, the futuristic-looking Steyr AUG was made famous by the ''villains'' in ''Film/DieHard'', but variants have since been adopted by law enforcement throughout the world in the decades since and have become more often depicted as "good"; alternately, see the Tommy Gun, which went from a gangster's weapon that made [[TheRoaringTwenties the '20s roar]] to a heroic weapon during World War II. Others may vary depending on the nature of the work in question. For example, it isn't uncommon to see an AntiHero using a traditional "Bad Gun". Similarly, while MoreDakka may otherwise be a "Bad Gun" trait, having your hero pick up a [[GatlingGood Gatling Gun]] designed to be fired while mounted can be [[RuleOfCool downright awesome]]. Conversely, a DirtyCop may use a standard-issue "Good Gun" for nefarious purposes.

* In ''Series/Jericho2006'', the townspeople generally use hunting and police-issue weapons, while the marauding Ravenwood mercs use [=M4s=] with all the bells and whistles. Arguably, Hawkins' preferred weapon -- a Beretta Cougar Inox (a gangster gun [[BlingBlingBang stainless steel finish]]) -- reflects the doubt as to whether his intentions are good or evil.

* In ''Series/Jericho2006'', the townspeople generally use hunting and police-issue weapons, while the marauding Ravenwood mercs use [=M4s=] with all the bells and whistles. Arguably, Hawkins' preferred weapon -- a Beretta Cougar Inox ([[BlingBlingBang stainless steel finish]]) -- reflects the doubt as to whether his intentions are good or evil.

* '''"Advanced" Guns''': Going along with the general theme that "good" guns are often BoringButPractical, a good way to signal a villain is to give him a futuristic-looking gun with lots of "bells and whistles". Black synthetic stocks, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullpup "bullpup"]] designs (where the breech is located behind the trigger and grip)[[note]]Which is kind of odd when most bullpup users are NATO countries (though most of them are dropping bullpups for something AR-based), but then again the biggest user of them is China), fancy scopes, laser sights, extended magazines of all sorts, silencers, muzzle brakes, etc. are all accessories that can push a standard gun into this category. Weapons by German manufacturer Heckler & Koch (often abbreviated H&K) are prime examples in fiction dating back to at least the '80s, though many of their creations (such as the [=MP5=]) have been adopted by law enforcement around the world since, giving them a split reputation.

* '''Gangster Guns''': Anything associated with gangsters, be they [[TheMafia Mafioso]], [[GangBangers urban]], or [[GenericEthnicCrimeGang another ethnic crime group]], tend to be "Bad Guns", depending on the time period and location. The Thompson submachine gun (aka "Tommy Gun"), particularly the early models with the vertical foregrip and [[MoreDakka drum magazine]], is ''the'' Mafia weapon. The Italian mafiosi would also use Berettas as their {{National Weapon}}s. Machine pistols such as the Uzi, TEC-9, and MAC-10 are favorites of gangbangers. TheIrishMob is often associated, especially if set during the UsefulNotes/TheTroubles, with hand-me-down American guns like the AR-18. TheMafiya will cross this over with the above Kalashnikovs, perhaps with the barrels and stocks cut for concealment. TheCartel may have any or all of these. Naturally, these are almost exclusively "Bad Guns" (Berettas notwithstanding), with the Thompson getting a reprieve in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]] works.
* '''"Advanced" Guns''': Going along with the general theme that "good" guns are often BoringButPractical, a good way to signal a villain is to give him a futuristic-looking gun with lots of "bells and whistles". Black synthetic stocks, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullpup "bullpup"]] designs (where the breech is located behind the trigger and grip), fancy scopes, laser sights, extended magazines of all sorts, silencers, muzzle brakes, etc. are all accessories that can push a standard gun into this category. Weapons by German manufacturer Heckler & Koch (often abbreviated H&K) are prime examples in fiction dating back to at least the '80s, though many of their creations (such as the [=MP5=]) have been adopted by law enforcement around the world since, giving them a split reputation.

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection generally favors NATO military or law enforcement weapons for Counter-Terrorists and [=WarPac=] and/or cheap, widespread "gangsta" weapons for Terrorists, and applies regardless of what real-world organizations are used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s, French [=FAMASes=], and Austrian [=AUGs=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1=]s, Galils, or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists. Conversely, Terrorists having Glock as one of their starting weapons make them look more like real-life robbers or urban mass-shooters.

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection generally favors NATO military weapons for Counter-Terrorists and [=WarPac=] and/or cheap, widespread "gangsta" weapons for Terrorists, and applies regardless of what real-world organizations are used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s, French [=FAMASes=], and Austrian [=AUGs=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1=]s, Galils, or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists. Conversely, Terrorists having Glock as one of their starting weapons make them look more like real-life robbers or urban mass-shooters.

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection generally favors NATO military weapons for Counter-Terrorists and [=WarPac=] and/or cheap, widespread "gangsta" weapons for Terrorists, and applies regardless of what real-world organizations are used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s, French [=FAMASes=], and Austrian [=AUGs=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1=]s, Galils, or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists.

* '''Law Enforcement Firearms''': Firearms typically associated with police and government agents are also likely to be carried by "good" characters. The Glock and Beretta families of handgun are common examples favored by police forces worldwide. Their BoringButPractical nature in the hands of a hero instantly contrasts the [[BlingBlingBang flashier and more exotic]] guns often preferred by villains. Older works and older-set works may instead give their officers double-action revolvers, such as the Smith & Wesson Model 10 in .38 caliber[[note]]With over six million units produced, making it the most common handgun in the world[[/note]]. A favorite of SWAT teams, government agencies, and regular officers who need a step up from their sidearm, the [=MP5=] submachine gun is another very common "Good Gun" with a law enforcement basis. Inversions most often occur when [[TheBadGuysAreCops law enforcement is the antagonist]] of the story.

* '''Gangster Guns''': Anything associated with gangsters, be they [[TheMafia Mafioso]], [[GangBangers urban]], or [[GenericEthnicCrimeGang another ethnic crime group]], tend to be "Bad Guns", depending on the time period and location. The Thompson submachine gun (aka "Tommy Gun"), particularly the early models with the vertical foregrip and [[MoreDakka drum magazine]], is ''the'' Mafia weapon. The Italian mafiosi would also use Berettas as their {{National Weapon}}s. Machine pistols such as the Uzi, TEC-9, and MAC-10 are favorites of gangbangers. TheIrishMob is often associated, especially if set during the UsefulNotes/TheTroubles, with hand-me-down American guns like the AR-18. TheMafiya will cross this over with the above Kalashnikovs, perhaps with the barrels and stocks cut for concealment. TheCartel may have any or all of these. Naturally, these are almost exclusively "Bad Guns", with the Thompson getting a reprieve in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]] works.

* '''Gangster Guns''': Anything associated with gangsters, be they [[TheMafia Mafioso]], [[GangBangers urban]], or [[GenericEthnicCrimeGang another ethnic crime group]], tend to be "Bad Guns", depending on the time period and location. The Thompson submachine gun (aka "Tommy Gun"), particularly the early models with the vertical foregrip and [[MoreDakka drum magazine]], is ''the'' Mafia weapon. Machine pistols such as the Uzi, TEC-9, and MAC-10 are favorites of gangbangers. TheIrishMob is often associated, especially if set during the UsefulNotes/TheTroubles, with hand-me-down American guns like the AR-18. TheMafiya will cross this over with the above Kalashnikovs, perhaps with the barrels and stocks cut for concealment. TheCartel may have any or all of these. Naturally, these are almost exclusively "Bad Guns", with the Thompson getting a reprieve in [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]] works.

* ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest'':
** In ''SWAT 2'' features the Z-M Weapons LR-300, an AR-15 variant, as the main bad guy weapon and the Desert Eagle as their sidearm. The SWAT team favour [=MP5s=], Benelli M1 shotguns and [=M1911A1s=].
** Similarly, in ''VideoGame/{{SWAT 3}}'', terrorists who are heavily armed tend to use AR-15s just as often as they do [=AKs=]. However, sidearms generally follow this rule, with the [=M1911A1=] as SWAT standard and the Mark 23 as an alternative, while bad guys stick with CZ-75s and [[BlingBlingBang stainless-steel]] Makarovs. Later releases came with official addons that existed mostly to allow players to use the same weapons as the terrorists, but even with both of them active, the submachine gun variant of the Steyr AUG remains a terrorist-exclusive weapon.
** ''VideoGame/{{SWAT 4}}''[='=]s expansion pack adds a "Team-Specific Weaponry" option for multiplayer matches, to limit each team's loadout to weapons that would make more sense for that team. For the most part, these play the trope straight - Desert Eagle, AK, TEC-9 and Uzi for suspects only, Colt Accurized Rifle and "Cobra" taser for SWAT only, etc. - but others avert or invert this, such as the G36 and [=MP5=] being available for both teams, and the H&K UMP being SWAT-only. Singleplayer inverts this more, as there's an abundant number of H&K weapons that only the player and his squad can use.

* '''Modern "Western" Military Firearms''': In large part due to their prevalence in Western media and other countries with pro-Western sentiments (Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, etc.), the firearms used by "Western" militaries often end up in the hands of "good" characters. As the standard infantry rifle of the US military since 1967, the M16 (part of the Colt AR-15 family) and its 5.56 NATO-firing cousins used by other Western militaries are a very common example. Notable inversions occur when the [[ArmiesAreEvil military is portrayed as the antagonist]] in a given work, as well as in the hands of PrivateMilitaryContractors. These weapons have also fallen into the hands of Iraqi and Afghan insurgents due to the long US military presence in both nations, but media has been slower to demonstrate this, with exceptions like the Israeli Uzi which instead are portrayed as "gangster guns".

* '''Modern "Western" Military Firearms''': In large part due to their prevalence in Western media and other countries with pro-Western sentiments (Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, etc.), the firearms used by "Western" militaries often end up in the hands of "good" characters. As the standard infantry rifle of the US military since 1967, the M16 (part of the Colt AR-15 family) and its 5.56 NATO-firing cousins used by other Western militaries are a very common example. Notable inversions occur when the [[ArmiesAreEvil military is portrayed as the antagonist]] in a given work, as well as in the hands of PrivateMilitaryContractors. These weapons have also fallen into the hands of Iraqi and Afghan insurgents due to the long US military presence in both nations, but media has been slower to demonstrate this.

** The AR Team, as the name implies, consists of AR-15 derived weapons, and are the main focus of the campaign story. Subverted later on as [[spoiler: [=M16A1=] defects to Sangvis Ferri, still using her namesake weapon]].
** Team DEFY uses modern Russian weapons (AK-12 and AN-94 at first, with AK-15 and RPK-16 joining later on). While they are nominally aligned with the [[UsefulNotes/MoscowCentre FSB]], they still work with the Commander in most of their appearance, making them heroic characters who use "bad" guns.

** Averted in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfareII'' as both the Los Almas Cartel and Al-Qatala are armed with both Warsaw and NATO weaponry, such as [=M16=] and [=M4=] assault rifles. The latter is a notable case as they never carried these (and their modern gear) in the first game. [[spoiler:And of course, The Shadow Company, being an American PMC working for a US Army general, exclusively carries American and other Western weapons]].

As with all morality tropes, [[NoRealLife/MoralityTropes No Real Life Examples, Please!]]

** The original ''Ghost Recon'' zig-zags this. Enemies, as always, almost always use the AK and similar weapons, and while a player in campaign is generally restricted to NATO weapons like the M16/M4, M24, and M249, there are also a few "bad" guns available to specialists and in multiplayer modes, like the SVD sniper rifle, the RPK-74, and the [=MG3=] (a 7.62mm NATO conversion of the infamous [=MG42=] used by UsefulNotes/NaziGermany). The expansions went even further to invert this for the Ghosts, giving them access to the Makarov pistol, several AK variants and even WWII-era DP machine guns.