History Main / ShutUpGunshot

* ''LightNovel/TheAsteriskWar'': In Volume 9, St. Gallardworth Student Council Secretary Percival Gardner fires her pistol Lux into the air to break up an argument between two of the other council members.

* In one episode of Series/{{Mash}}, Hawkeye and Colonel Potter are pinned down by a squad of North Korean soldiers, with only a pistol between the two of them (understandable, given that they're Army doctors, not infantrymen). Unfortunately, the one holding the pistol is [[DoesNotLikeGuns Hawkeye]], who refuses to shoot back or even hand the pistol to Potter. Potter gives Hawkeye [[WhatTheHellHero an earful]] for his stubbornness, but manages to talk him into firing a single shot--[[ExactWords which Hawkeye does, straight into the air]] instead of at the soldiers. Thankfully, this trope is played straight as the single report scares the soldiers off, which is what Potter was [[JustForPun aiming for]] anyways.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'', Mariner fires a phaser into the ceiling to pause a BarBrawl Boimler has been caught up in, then offers a free round of drinks to get everyone to calm down.
* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'', Poe Dameron fires a shot from his blaster in the air to scare off some Kowakian monkey-lizards. A lizard falls from the ceiling, dead.

* In the second episode of ''WesternAnimation/UglyAmericans'', to get the others' attention, Mark Lilly fires a gun that Leonard gave him into the air. He follows this up with, "Sorry. [[IAlwaysWantedToSayThat I've been waiting to do that all day.]]"

* During ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlueTheChorusTrilogy'', in the middle of a heated argument between Wash and Tucker, with the Reds and Caboose watching on, right as they are about to erupt in a brawl, a gunshot rings out, along with Tex's leitmotif, which means a whole load of ass-kicking is about to-- [[TheDayTheMusicLied wait, never mind, it's just]] [[CampGay Donut]].

* During ''Machinima/RedVsBlueTheChorusTrilogy'', in the middle of a heated argument between Wash and Tucker, with the Reds and Caboose watching on, right as they are about to erupt in a brawl, this trope happens, along with Tex's leitmotif, which means a whole load of ass-kicking is about to-- [[TheDayTheMusicLied wait, never mind, it's just]] [[CampGay Donut]].

* A variation happens in ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines''. When Ash and Co. arrive to the Cinnabar Battle Club, there's a huge ruckus going on between a bunch of challengers coming to battle Blaine. Blaine's granddaughter Alish yells out a BigShutUp when an Overheat goes off and everyone shuts up ([[AmbiguousSituation though it's unclear]] whether it was Alish herself or her Flareon who fired it).

* In ''Series/AlienNation'', Sikes temporarily stops a potential neighbourhood riot triggered by a newcomer family moving into the area by firing a few shots into the air to grab everyone's attention before giving the crowd a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck" Speech]] and [[ShamingTheMob shaming them into dispersing.]]

* In ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'', Al Swearengen does this to the crowd at the Gem Saloon while they're agitated over the news that a family leaving the camp were found dead.

** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. In "Living Witness", Voyager has been given a HistoricalVillainUpgrade by an alien historian 700 years in the future, portraying them as squabbling thugs responsible for genocide. Annoyed when a ready room meeting breaks down into a fistfight, Evil Janeway pulls out a phaser and shoots an innocent computer screen to make them stop.

* During ''Machinima/RedVsBlueTheChorusTrilogy'', in the middle of a heated argument between Wash and Tucker, with the Reds and Caboose watching on, right as they are about to erupt in a brawl, this trope happens, along with Tex's leitmotif, which means a whole load of ass kicking is about to-- [[TheDayTheMusicLied wait, never mind, it's just]] [[CampGay Donut]].

See also NoisyShutUp, of which this a very common variant. Contrast with FiringInTheAirALot and ShoutingShooter. Possibly a SubTrope of ThreateningMediator.

* ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'' features President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho firing a M249 SAW machine gun in the air during the middle of an Emergency Presidential Address to shut up his critics.

* In ''Film/ReformSchoolGirls'', Warden Sutter quells the riot in the girls dorm by firing a shotgun into the ceiling.

* ''Film/ScavengerHunt1979'': When the teams dissolve into a noisy argument at the end of the hunt, Bernstein takes a gun off one the police officers and fires it into the air to get silence.

* In ''Film/SororityRow'', Mrs Crenshaw breaks up a second CatFight between Jessica and Maggie before it can start by firing a shotgun into the ceiling.

* The minutes of a war council meeting in ''Literature/CiaphasCain: Caves of Ice'' include a line about how some of the participants weren't paying attention to Col. Kasteen calling the meeting to order. Not until Maj. Broklaw fired his bolter into the ceiling, anyway. Given a BrickJoke later when Cain walks in and wonders why there's so many holes in the ceiling.

* ''Series/TheBarrier'': The President's guards are shown shooting in the air in hope of driving the crowd marching on the President's residence away.

* In ''Film/RoadHouse'', Brad Wesley calls off his henchmen in a bar fight by firing a gun into the ceiling.

* ''Anime/{{Spriggan}}''. Yoshino Somei breaks up a duel between Yu Ominae and mercenary Iwao Akatsuki by ''opening fire on them'' (though as she points out, they're both ImmuneToBullets thanks to their PoweredArmor). After that she just resorts to yelling whenever the TestosteronePoisoning gets too much for her.

* ''Anime/{{Spriggan}}''. Yoshino Somei breaks up a duel between Yu Ominae and mercenary Iwao Akatsuki by ''opening fire on them'' (though as she points out, they're both ImmuneToBullets thanks to their PoweredArmor). After that she just resorts to yelling whenever the TestoteronePoisoning gets too much for her.

* ''Anime/{{Spriggan}}''. Yoshino Somei breaks up a duel between Yu Ominae and mercenary Iwao Akatsuki by ''opening fire on them'' (though as she points out, they're both ImmuneToBullets thanks to their PoweredArmor).

* Discharging a weapon indoors (or underground) can permanently damage your or other people’s hearing if no protection is worn.

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* In ''Film/YellowHairAndTheFortressOfGold'', the gambling woman quells the BarBrawl at Tortuga's by firing TwoShotsFromBehindThebar into the ceiling, and then telling Yellow Hair and Pecos that they should get before they start trouble.

* In the ''Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse'' novel "Close Quarters," Lady K has to do this with a laser pistol to interrupt a ''six''-way argument breaking out over Colonel Camacho's fitness to command. Her only observation is that she's glad for reinforced walls, as having to apologize for someone for [[ShotInTheAss accidentally shooting them in the ass]] is a faux pas she'd rather not deal with.

* ''Series/{{Danger 5}}''. The "Sit Down Gun" used by Colonel Chestbridge during his {{Mission Briefing}}s.

* In the early ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E04AManAlone A Man Alone]]", a mob gathers outside Odo's office after the changeling is implicated in a murder. One of the Starfleet security officers fires his phaser into the air a couple of times to get their attention.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "Night Terrors", the Enterprise's bartender, Guinan, is able to prevent a brawl from breaking out by firing the extremely large and probably illegal energy weapon she keeps under the bar into the overhead, causing a small explosion and making everyone stare at her in shock.
-->'''Guinnan:''' That was setting ''One''. Anybody want to see setting Number Two?
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. In "Living Witness", Voyager has been given a HistoricalVillainUpgrade by an alien historian 700 years in the future, portraying them as squabbling thugs responsible for genocide. Annoyed when a ready room meeting breaks down into a fistfight, Evil Janeway pulls out a phaser and shoots an innocent computer screen to make them stop.

* During ''Machinima/RedVsBlueTheChorusTrilogy'', in the middle of a heated argument between Wash and Tucker, with the Reds and Caboose watching on, right as they are about to erupt in a brawl, this trope happens, along with [[ActionGirl T]][[OneWomanArmy e]][[RidiculouslyHumanRobot x]][[TheAce 's]] leitmotif, which means a whole load of ass kicking is about to– [[TheDayTheMusicLied wait, never mind, it's just]] [[CampGay Donut]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' episode "Vision Quest", Archer fires his gun into the ceiling of the elevator when the others panic and start fighting. SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome due to the loud noise and confined space.

%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse'': Gwildor's moment.

* ''VideoGame/{{Pico}}'s School'' features a scene where the player character can attempt to talk some sense into Cyclops, a Goth-Punk who is blocking the school hallway. Should you poke holes in his motives or taunt him, he will shut you up by shooting you (and you will take a sliver of health for it). The only way to counteract this is to interrupt the scene entirely with your ''own'' gun, scaring him into submission.

* ''VideoGame/{{Pico}}'s School'' features a scene where the player character can attempt to talk some sense into Cyclops, a Goth-Punk who is blocking the school hallway. Should you poke holes in his motives ''or'' taunt him, he will shut you up by shooting you (and you will take a sliver of health for it). The only way to counteract this is to interrupt the scene entirely with your ''own'' gun, scaring him into submission.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' episode "Vision Quest", Archer fires his gun into the ceiling of the elevator when the others panic and start fighting. RealityEnsues due to the loud noise and confined space.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit'': Lord Victor Quartermaine wishes to announce to the vegetable festival attendees that he intends to kill the were-rabbit, and that he has three golden bullets (the creature's only weakness). But everyone is too busy panicking to listen to him, so he fires into the air to get their attention. And then he facepalms, as [[DidntThinkThisThrough he realizes he just wasted one of the golden bullets]].

* Depending on what is above you, you could hit something dangerous such as a gas line.