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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''"There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is, how do we arm the other eleven?"''
|'''Yuri Orlov''', ''[[Lord of War]]''}}
▲{{quote|''"There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is, how do we arm the other eleven?"''|'''Yuri Orlov''', ''[[Lord of War]]''}}
In its basic form, a person who sells weaponry. This results in a large variety of sub-types of these characters:
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* '''International Arms Merchant''': Globe-trotting freelance gunrunner, basically a corporate lobbyist without the corporation and far more unscrupulous. Frequently sell to terrorist groups and large criminal organizations, and tend to pop up as minor villains or information sources in spy movies.
These characters are generally depicted as slimy merchants of death, making money from brutal wars and providing the means to prolong the conflict. They may be inclined to start a [[War for Fun
{{examples|Examples:}}▼
== Anime and Manga ==
* [[Mad Scientist|Jail Scaglietti]] of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
* In ''[[
* The protagonists of ''[[
* McCoy, the base quartermaster at ''[[
** Farina, the Italian mafioso in the manga and OVA, also qualifies.
* ''[[
* ''[[
* {{spoiler|Enishi}} in ''[[
== Comic Books ==
* The [[Elseworlds]] miniseries ''JSA: The Liberty Files'', featuring [[
* In ''[[
== Film ==
* Yuri Orlov, [[Villain Protagonist]] of ''[[Lord of War]]'' as well as a few others shown in the film. Yuri is the nephew of one of the "Former Reds With Rockets For Sale", who helped get him into the arms business. He also has a rival/nemesis in Simeon Weisz, a corporate lobyist version who also has some political motivations (specifically support for America and Israel). Despite falling into some [[Eagle Land]] and "evil Zionist" stereotypes, Simeon ''still'' comes across as better than Yuri.
* An Israeli one features in ''[[Charlie
* Tony Stark is one of these in ''[[Iron Man (
* Owen Davian, the amoral, passive-aggressive, monotonic arms dealer villain of ''[[Mission: Impossible (
* Jeebs in ''[[Men in Black (
* Brad Whitaker from ''[[
* In ''[[Taxi Driver]]'', Travis Bickle buys a number of guns from the suitcase of a skeevy street dealer. After making several purchases, the man runs down a laundry list of other illegal wares, to Bickle's disgust.
* In ''[[City of God]]'', a group of gun runners sell some weapons to young gangsters. They point to a Star of David engraved on an Uzi and note that the gun is "Jewish" as a selling point.
* In ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'', the brothers buy guns and other supplies from a basement arms dealer with clear IRA ties.
* In ''[[The Quick and
* In the Serbian film ''[[Underground]]'', Marko and Blacky supposedly act as gun runners for the resistance against the Nazis during World War 2. In reality, they drink and gamble most of the money away. Much later, Marko and Natalija become arms dealers during the Yugoslav wars. {{spoiler|Blacky has them executed as "war profiteers" before realizing who they are.}}
* Both Valentin Zukovsky and the Janus syndicate in ''[[
* Bully Hayes is dealing firearms to the native islanders in the opening of ''[[
* The film ''Strapped'' features the delivery boy Diquan Mitchell getting heavily involved in arms trafficking in the ghetto in a plot to get his pregnant girlfriend out of prison.
* [[Samuel L. Jackson|Ordell Robbie]] from ''[[
* Chevy Chase and Gregory Hines in ''[[Deal Of The Century]]''.
* There's a slightly unusual gun rurnner in ''[[The Salton Sea]]''.
* In ''[[Casablanca]]'', Rick Blaine was this in Ethiopia and during the Spanish Civil War, according to his [[Backstory]]. Apparently he did it for the cause, although [[Not in This For Your Revolution|he was unwilling to admit it]] and certainly had no problem pocketing the pay he got out of it. He was told, "The winning side would have paid much better" and replied ambiguously. Actually, the winning side would not have paid him at all because they would have been purchasing from reliable arms cartels, not smugglers; while the Ethiopians at least would have needed unconventional sources because they were strapped for cash.
== Fan Works ==
* In the aftermath of the 3rd Harbinger battle in ''[[
▲* In the aftermath of the 3rd Harbinger battle in ''[[Aeon Entelechy Evangelion (Fanfic)|Aeon Entelechy Evangelion]]'' there were a lot of munitions that didn't explode or were abandoned in the chaos, which the local ghouls scavenge and sell to interested parties like the Eldritch Society.
== Live Action TV ==
* ''[[Airwolf]]'' features several of these characters.
** Of particular note is the one played by Walter Gogol in "Fight Like a Dove", a Nazi war criminal who claims to have influenced the outcome of the Falklands War by not selling the Argentines more than half a dozen Exocets. For the record, of the six Exocets that were fired by Argentina (five from aircraft, one from a truck)- one sunk ''HMS Sheffield'', two sunk ''Atlantic Conveyor'', the truck-launched one damaged ''HMS Glamorgan'' and the others missed.
* They have also featured in ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]''.
* Rene Benoit in ''[[
* ''[[Wiseguy]]''. Mel Profitt operated on an international scale, selling weapons as part of his Malthusian belief that it was needed to balance the birth/death rates.
* ''[[
** A majority of the Ferengi race fit this trope. They are willing to sell anything to anyone all in the name of profit,
** In the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
* In ''[[
* They show up in ''[[
* Alexi Volkoff from ''[[Chuck]]'' among other illegal activities.
* The [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger]]'', Agent Abrella, and his ''[[Power Rangers SPD]]'' counterpart, Broodwing.
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* ''[[The Dogs of War]]'' makes a plot point out of the various types of dealers available to the coup-planning mercenary team of the title: they're able to obtain their ammunition from a legitimate dealer through forged licences, but have to buy their guns on the black market and smuggle them aboard their ship since having both the ammo and guns on the manifest would make it blatantly obvious the 'freighter' is actually carrying an amphibious strike force.
* In ''[[Neuromancer]]'', Case realizes that someone (Molly) is following him, so he calls his gun dealer contact, who agrees to meet him in a few hours with a gun. In the meantime, Case buys a cool [[Whip It Good|whip]], which he unfortunately trashes as soon as he gets his gun.
* Gerald Kersh's short story, ''[[
== [[Music]] ==
* ''[[
* ''[[
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* The [[White Wolf]] collectible card game ''Vampire: The Eternal Struggle'' featured an ally card called Arms Dealer. While in play, the Arms Dealer can take an action to allow the
* Very common in ''[[
* Several factions function like this at one time or another in ''[[
* Fairly common in ''[[Inquisitor]]'' and ''[[Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay]]'' game lines. ''[[Dark Heresy]]'' also has a system of [[Friend in the Black Market|Contacts]], whose possible abilities include significant discount and/or improved Availability (vs. open market values) for a category of goods — it's one of the most obvious uses. Sure, one Contact (who sits in one place, while your Acolytes may have to travel anywhere across entire Sector) with access to military equipment + 30% discount on ammo and nothing else is worth more XP than good relations with a whole Imperial organization, but given how expensive ammunition for bolters and exotic weapons is...
* In ''[[
== Theatre ==
* In the [[George Bernard Shaw]] play ''[[
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Raptor: Call of the Shadows]]''.
* ''Elite''.
* ''[[Privateer]]''.
* ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4
** Drebin is actually a twist on the concept. In addition to [[Soul Brotha|fitting none of the above sub-types]] (he's probably best described as a combo of the Gun Shop owner and the international arms dealer), he describes himself not as an arms dealer, but a gun ''launderer,'' someone who offers a way around an ID lock system integrated into the military and industrial-military infrastructure on a global level.
*** Though in some ways he (and his bretheren) fall under the heading of {{spoiler|Minister for Defense Export, as they are taking their marching orders direct from The Patriots; in general, their activities let weaker forces keep fighting by allowing them to reuse battlefield salvaged guns, which in turn stretches conflicts and helps fuel the War Economy.}}
*** Coincidentally, the same voice actor also played Smuggler in Deus Ex who is...you guessed it: an arms dealer!
** Additionally, ''[[Metal Gear Solid
* ''[[
** He doesn't clearly fit into any of the above classification, and not because he doesn't sell ammo.
* [[Ratchet and Clank]]: Megacorp, Gadgetron, Grummelnet, and those are the "legal" ones. The illegal variety are Slim Cognito and The Smuggler. You go to the first three for basic firearms, and the last two for illegal upgrades, and weapons that are banned in [[Sci
* Hammer in ''[[Castlevania
* ''[[Army of Two]]'' features four NPCs who sell the characters their armory. Of those four, only Cha Minh Soo has any relevance to the plot; the rest are nothing more than portraits. They could have been rolled into Cha Minh Soo's character and nothing would have changed.
* Kuja in ''[[
* Starting in ''[[
** In 3 and Vice City, a different guy sells heavy weapons, just in case you really need that RPG-7.
** In ''[[
*** There's also Little Jacob, who will sell you anything from the back of his car except for the really big guns.
** Although in ''[[
* In ''[[Command
* [[
* ''[[
** Justified in 1, it's a place for the wanzer gladiators shopping for 'arms'.
*** AND during a massive war, talk about Profit!
** What about the ones in the 3? they sold these ''legally'' in the middle of the city.
*** [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|In Singapore]]!
** [[My Friends and Zoidberg|And finally, ordering them from the Internet]], although that last one is implied to be illegal...
* ''[[Wild
* ''[[Far Cry]] 2'' is full of arms dealers. In addition to the Jackal and the player's armorer, there's quite a few other arms dealers who are the targets of various missions. Even some of the playable mercenaries are stated to have histories in gunrunning.
* How could we miss Nasri {{spoiler|and [[Big Bad|Leland]]}} from ''[[
** While they are certainly the most prominent, almost everyone involved in "Clearinghouse" is an arms dealer. Including Mike Thorton, if he so chooses.
* The ''[[A Worldwide Punomenon|Merchant of Menace]]'' from ''[[Mercenaries]]''. The owner is a Gangland Gun Runner/International Arms Merchant/[[Russian Mafia]] boss who sells everything from pistols to ''cruise missile strikes'' and ''fuel air bombs''.
** The sequel has a mix of Defence Export Ministers (The Allies, China), International Arms Dealers/Corporate Lobbyists (UP), Former Reds With Rockets For Sale (the Guerrillas) and Gangland Gun Runners (the Pirates).
* You in ''[[
* ''[[
* Los Angeles weapons dealers in ''[[
* The Sikholon in ''[[I Miss the Sunrise]]'' are a mix of type 2 (they're the only known arms dealer in the galaxy) and type 3.
* ''[[
** ''[[
** ''[[The Nameless Mod]]'': Raving Nutter and Andreus.
* In ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution
* Recette, [[Player Character]] of ''[[Recettear:
* The Gun Runners company, appearing in ''[[
* The ''[[Saints Row]]'' series has ''Friendly Fire'', serving much the same purpose as AmmuNation in GTA. There's also Phillipe Loren, head of [[The Syndicate]] in ''[[Saints Row:
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[
== [[Web Original]] ==
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In most continuities of ''[[
** And he's almost always an Intergalactic Arms Dealer only in buisness for himself.
* Although Lexcorp in ''[[Superman:
* Minor ''[[
* Jack Hench and Hench Co. in ''[[
* Destro in nearly all incarnations of ''[[
== Real Life ==
* Basil Zaharoff, one-time Chairman of Vickers, who has appeared as an actual character or a [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]] version in several works. Corporate Lobbyist type.
* The United States of America has been described as the world's biggest arms dealer. Russia takes second place (its exports are hugely down from the days of the USSR). The rest are the UK, France and mainland China. They all have permanent seats on the UN Security Council, with the ability to veto resolutions on arms trafficking.
** "The rest" meaning these countries unsurprisingly account for over 95% of all military equipment sold ''anywhere''.
** You forgot the third largest arms exporter: Germany. Yes, ''that'' Germany. Although it's probably better than [[World War II|the time they decided to keep them for themselves]] (the weapons, not the ammo; that, they shared freely).
*** German arms exporting is mostly by private industry not the German government.
* Arms exporting countries have dedicated junior ministers for this sort of thing. In the UK, Lord Drayson is the Minister of Defence Equipment and Support.
* The now famous Charlie Wilson was a U.S. congressman who used his own power - he was a member of the appropiations committee (money lenders) for black ops, as well as working with a number of CIA and Special Forces agents - to secure arms for Afghan Guerillas during the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
** Even more amazing is the CIA agent he worked with, Gust Avrokatos, and the guys Gust worked with. Gust once remarked of the immense balls of the Deputy Arms Minister of Egypt. Apparently, during a meeting with Gust for weapons to be sold to Israel with money from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia with the intention of Israel handing the weapons to Pakistan who would move them into Afghanistan (yeah), the Deputy Minister was also darting in and out of two other rooms that each smelled strongly of tobacco and hashish. Apparently the minister was making arms deals with the Iranians in the room on the left, Americans in the center room, and Iraqis on the right. This despite the fact that Iran and Iraq were at war, and Egypt's attitude towards America at the time was "we'll write insulting things with our right hands while you pass cash and guns to our left."
***In both the cases of Charlie and Gust that depends on how you define the term. They were [[La Résistance|underground quartermasters]], to be sure, but they were covered by the US government (and whatever other government was involved) and did not need to make a profit to pump their budget. They were dealing in arms so they were "arms-dealers" if you want to make a point but they were purchasers and smugglers not producers and not sellers.
***One of the problems in that operation was that for a long time the CIA was unwilling to introduce American ordinance because they wished to maintain [[Implausible Deniability|the pretense]] that America was not supplying the Afghans. That meant that while fungible cash could be gotten out of Congress, it had to be converted into hardware and transported by all sorts of convoluted and rather colorful means.
* Viktor Bout, a former Red (retired Russian GRU major) with a lot of military stuff for sale. He was supplying weapons to nearly everyone (except for people linked to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, or so he claims) for fifteen years, until he was arrested in Thailand last year. Nicknamed "The Merchant of Death". Also, the main character of ''Lord of War'', Yuri Orlov, was based on him.
* Norway allegedly has the world's largest export of weapons per capita. Notable because this is also the country with the Nobel Peace Price and a number of people trying to create peace in both the Middle East and South East Asia.
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** Remember, Alfred Nobel (who, in fairness, was Swedish <ref>He gave the peace part of his price to Norway, who was, at the time, <s>a part of</s> ''[[Insistent Terminology|in a union]]'' with Sweden, because he didn't trust the Swedes with such an important task.)</ref> was originally an arms dealer of the first rank. He invented dynamite, the first effective smokeless powder, and owned a major arms company. When his brother Ludvig died, somebody mistakenly thought it was him; Alfred saw a [[Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated|premature obituary]] in a French newspaper that read ''Le marchand de mort est mort'' ("The [[Merchant Of Death]] Is Dead"). Not wishing to be remembered as the [[Merchant Of Death]], he set up the Prizes.
*** However, it should be noted that while Nobel sought peace, he did not believe in disarmament treaties would be useful in achieving that goal. He was all for things like the League of Nations though.
* The [
* In recent history the ATF itself with Project Gun Runner and Operation Fast and Furious.
* The United State of America prior to its entry in the two World Wars used its neutrality and industrial capacity to make and sell arms for the wars in Europe. In both cases this was part of the motive for [[Awakening the Sleeping Giant|attacking the US and forcing their actual entry into the war]].
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Video Game Characters]]
[[Category:Villains]]
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