History Main / NeverBringAKnifeToAGunfight

[[caption-width-right:230: En garde,[[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch!]]]]

[[caption-width-right:230: En garde, bitch!]]

[[caption-width-right:230: En garde, bitch!

[[caption-width-right:230: En garde, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch!]]

[[caption-width-right:230: En garde, bitch!]]

** Guns have much greater range than melee or fist weapons, and are often more damaging as well. In theory, this is balanced by guns having finite ammo. [[FakeBalance In practice]], while you might run out for a ''particular'' gun, you almost always accumulate ammo faster than you spend it (often without even going to merchants). Often the player character can only manage with melee weapons because of [[ArmorOfInvincibility very powerful armor]] and/or spamming [[HealingPotion Stimpaks]] making you practically invulnerable anyway. The PowerFist was actually added to the original ''VideoGame/Fallout1'' late in development when playtesting showed completing the game with an Unarmed build was nearly impossible.

* In ''Film/ThePunisher2004'', the titular character's car is rammed at a railway crossing by an assassin sent by the BigBad. He crawls out of it and brandishes a knife, only for the assassin to quote this trope and pull a gun. In a subversion, it turns out to be a ballistic knife, and the spring-launched blade hits the assassin in the throat. To be fair, though, he had no reason to expect such a weapon, as they're illegal in the US.

** ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' has a CallBack to the use of this trope in the first film in which Indy is confronted by ''two'' swordsmen. He reaches for his gun...[[WheresMyGun only to find an empty holster]], as he'd forgotten that his pistol was confiscated earlier in the movie.

* In ''Film/{{Super}}'', Rainn Wilson plays a rather deluded NonPoweredCostumedHero whose WeaponOfChoice is a {{wrench|whack}}. At one point he sneaks into the BigBad's compound, only to discover that the drug dealer's henchmen are all armed with handguns -- and they [[PaperThinDisguise recognize him immediately]], mask or no mask.

[[caption-width-right:230: En garde, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch!]]]]

[[caption-width-right:230: En garde, bitch!]]

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' in "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story", when Moe arrives at the Mexican standoff over the gold.
-->'''Moe:''' [''emerges from the shadows carrying a baseball bat''] You'll take the gold... and then you'll give it to ''me'' if you know what's good for ya!
-->[''Mr. Burns, Rich Texan, and Snake all turn and aim their guns at Moe'']
-->'''Moe:''' You guys have ''guns?'' Well, uhh... so do I! [''retreats into the shadows and unconvincingly mimes pumping a shotgun''] Eh? Eh?
* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': In "Temporal Edict", three Gelrakians have Ensign Brad Boimler at spearpoint, but he easily gets himself out of danger by stunning them with his phaser.

* Averted in the climax of ''Film/TheWarriors''. Swan challenges Luthor to a duel, only for Luther to smugly draw the gun he used to kill Cyrus and announce that he's going to KillEmAll. [[spoiler:Luther shoots, but Swan jumps to the side while simultaneously throwing his switchblade into Luther's wrist, disarming him.]]

* The famous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill Tueller Drill]] was a drill designed to investigate the use of firearms against assailants armed with a hand-held weapon. In summary, while a modern handgun is at great advantage over most other weapons like a knife, it's not a wonder-weapon that immediately removes all danger.
** The drill came to the conclusion that if a physically fit individual who is holding a knife/bat/tire iron/etc charges a reasonably well-trained shooter with a hip-holstered handgun across open ground, in the approximately 1.5 seconds it takes to draw and shoot, the charging individual covers approximately 21 feet. This establishes a 21-foot "danger zone." This is often erroneously thought of as the knife "winning" within 21 feet when the likely outcome is mutual wounding or a MutualKill. In reality, it was more about thinking about safety and also the legal justification for self-defense.
** If any of the above circumstances are changed, the scenario changes and the "danger zone" changes. For example, if the shooter has already drawn, the "danger zone" will be much smaller.
** Note that even the very first discussion of the [[http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Tueller/How.Close.htm Tueller Drill]] from 1983 didn't state there was some magic distance where this trope applied. The drill was meant to provoke thinking about each tactical situation. It was never a "knives vs. guns" argument.
** As for the Mythbusters, they proved only that in 2012, if Jamie charged Adam from directly in front of him while wearing work shoes and foam padding, and Adam was expecting it, and Jamie was charging across open ground, Adam could probably draw and prep a paintball gun to shoot Jamie at 20' before Jamie could stab him with a foam knife, but the reverse happened at 16'. Why all the caveats? Because if ''anything'' about the situation changes, the results will be different, and obviously at least one thing has changed irrevocably. Both men are now older. This is why the Tueller Drill was never about the knife "winning" at 21 feet, only about establishing a rule-of-thumb for thinking about self-defense.

* In ''Film/TheGentlemen'', Ray chases one of the kids on the estate, trying to get his phone. The kid runs to a gang to back him up, and which point Ray offers to buy the phone for a wad of cash. One of the gang pulls out a machete and says that they'll just take the cash '''and''' keep the phone. With a look of resignation, Ray pulls a sub machine-gun from under his coat and fires it in the air. The gang flees, while the kid throws Ray the phone and then bolts as well.

* In ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'', one of the possible bosses is "Championchik", a DumbMuscle Olympic boxing champion turned ''bratva'' who only uses his fists. Gunning him down is the easy way to win, and Mike will say a variation of the line if you go this route. Alternatively, if [[KnifeNut Brayko]] is present he'll casually murder Championchik offscreen.

* Inverted in the ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing''[=/=]''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' crossover ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11281564/1/ The Pirate's Soldier]]''. Heero Yuy manages to disable Mihoshi's Galaxy Police battle armor using his combat knife, ''twice''. Somewhat justified because, first, it's [[TheDitz Mihoshi]], and second, Heero later explains to Kiyone that the armor has a weak spot behind the neck, with exposed wiring that can easily be cut.

** ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' has a CallBack to the use of this trope in the first film in which Indy is confronted by ''two'' swordsmen. He reaches for his gun...[[OhCrap only to find an empty holster]], as he'd forgotten that his pistol was confiscated earlier in the movie.

* In ''Film/TheIsland1980'', it is a case of "never bring your fists to a swordfight". A BadassBystander on the schooner the pirates boards is a martial artist, and wipes the deck with several of the pirates, who have presumably never encountered this style of fighting before. The other pirates watch on in amusement at their shipmates' discomfit with amusement until one of them decides that this is wasting time, draws his cutlass, and promptly guts the unfortunate martial artist.

* In ''Film/{{Super}}'', Rainn Wilson plays a rather deluded NonPoweredCostumedHero whose WeaponOfChoice is a {{wrench|whack}}. At one point he sneaks into the BigBad's compound, only to discover that the drug dealer's henchmen are all armed with handguns -- and they [[PaperThinDisguise recognise him immediately]], mask or no mask.

'''Inversions and subversions are different tropes: NeverBringAGunToAKnifeFight and NeverBringAKnifeToAFistFight.'''

'''Subversions and inversions are different tropes: NeverBringAKnifeToAFistFight, NeverBringAGunToAKnifeFight.'''