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{{trope}}
{{quote|''
''Gets twenty to life, in the can
|'''The Fonz'''|''[[Happy Days]]''}}
In various media, [[Con Artist
From an out-of-universe standpoint, it's usually because the easiest way to turn a [[Loveable Rogue]], [[The Family for the Whole Family]], or [[The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything]] into terrifying, ''evil'' criminals is to show them terrorising people with guns.
If guns have not been invented, then sometimes the con artist will have a dislike for swords, or knives, or whatever else is the most prolific/dangerous personal weapon.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]]
* Aiber in ''[[Death Note]]''.
* [[Arsène Lupin]]'s grandson [[Lupin III]]. The difference with his ancestor is that the latter does ''carry'' a gun, because for someone in his position ''not'' having one is just stupid.
** Also subverted because Lupin regularly travels with a man who is explicitly one of
== [[Film]] ==
== Films -- Live-Action ==▼
* The main character in the film ''[[Matchstick Men]]'' keeps a gun next to his money. When someone tries to rob him, he doesn't want to use it.
* Played with in ''[[Maverick (film)|Maverick]]''. Brett Maverick is a great conman, and is supernaturally quick on the draw. But on top of that, he only shoots one person in the movie. The rest of time, he's intimidating people with his skills or shooting objects (guns in hands, rocks above a criminal's head).
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* Surprisingly averted in [[The Sting]] as main character Hooker would happily kill the villain in revenge for the murder of his friend Luther, but realizes that he doesn't know enough about killing people to successfully pull it off and opts for cheating him out of a fortune instead.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* Mick Connelly in ''[[In Death|Betrayal in Death]]'' is a con man, pick pocket, and various other thievery-related professions. He expresses a disdain for the guns in Roarke's [[Wall of Weapons|private weapon collection]], instead perusing the knives.
▲== Literature ==
▲* Mick Connelly in ''[[In Death|Betrayal in Death]]'' is a con man, pick pocket, and various other thievery-related professions. He expresses a disdain for the guns in Roarke's [[Wall of Weapons|private weapon collection]], instead perusing the knives.
* ''[[Discworld]]''
** Moist Von Lipwig in ''[[
** On another note, the Thieves' Guild prefers to incapacitate or frighten its victims into handing over their possessions rather than killing them outright, because that would intrude on another Guild's territory (the Assassins' Guild). Reducing the number of people there are to rob in a city is also bad for their business. Of course, they are free to punish those who steal without a license however they wish. Thieves breaking demarcation by killing people earn a short word from an Assassin: "Goodbye."
* James "Slippery Jim" diGriz, the main character and con man from ''[[The Stainless Steel Rat]]'' series is a variant of this. He sometimes carries a .75 caliber recoilless handgun with explosive rounds; however he hates killing, only using the gun to [[Shoot Out the Lock]] and related things. He also carries it [[Can't Bathe Without a Weapon|in the shower]].
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* In [[Time Scout]], Skeeter Jackson doesn't hate guns so much as he'd prefer a weapon he's more familiar with, like a Mongolian recurve bow.
* ''[[White Collar]]'': Neal Caffrey is usually able to talk his way out of a situation and never has to use one. He does prove in one episode that not liking guns doesn't mean he can't be a very good shot with one, though.
* Eliot from ''[[Leverage]]'' doesn't like guns, but explains it's only because they're too ''imprecise'' (this from the guy who could probably kill you in various unpleasant ways with a toothpick or something). His reasons vary from episode to episode, but the real reason he doesn't like them is that they take him back to a part of him he doesn't like. However in The Big Bang Job he does state that not liking guns doesn't mean he can't use them. {{spoiler|He is even able to put most action movie heroes to shame with his over the top shootout}}.
** The rest of the team is a more straight example, besides the pilot, none of them wield guns for the entirety of the series. However in the pilot, both Parker and Hardison bring guns to the meeting when they had been cheated and in their flashback Sophie and Nate shot each other.
* From the way Patrick Jane drops the shotgun in ''[[The Mentalist]]'' episode "Red John's Footsteps," he doesn't like to use
* Averted in ''[[Lost]]'': Sawyer is MORE than willing to use a gun. Although he had never used a gun until just before the crash, when he thought he was killing the man who had killed his parents.
* Also averted in ''[[The A-Team]]''
** Face sort of fits this trope. While he is quite capable of using a gun, he doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as his teammates do. Given the choice, he'd rather charm his way out of a bad situation.
* Michael of ''[[Burn Notice]]'', a former spy turned [[Chronic Hero Syndrome|MacGyver-for-Hire]], doesn't particularly like guns (but is willing to use them when necessary, which of course [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil|they increasingly are as the series progresses]]).
{{quote|
* In an episode of ''[[The Famous Jett Jackson]]'', the [[Executive Meddling|executives decide]] that Jett's character in the [[Show Within a Show]] ''Silverstone'' should have a gun, and, as a result, so should his enemies. The actor portraying the villain The Rat quits in protest, saying that it wasn't in character for the cunning Rat to use guns. ([[Status Quo Is God|The execs relent and he's back by the end of the episode, though.]])
* In ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]] Fantasy Roleplay'', followers of Ranald, god of thieves and gamblers, also avoid violence when possible, both because its crude and unprofessional but also because murder is a premise of a competing god.▼
==
▲* In ''[[Warhammer]] Fantasy Roleplay'', followers of Ranald, god of thieves and gamblers, also avoid violence when possible, both because its crude and unprofessional but also because murder is a premise of a competing god.
▲== Video Games ==
* Averted with gambler and con artist Nick from ''[[Left 4 Dead|Left 4 Dead 2]]'', who is more than happy to pick up a gun. Justified, because it's the [[Zombie Apocalypse]], and wit won't get him anywhere.
** Played straight through backstory conversation as, when first picking up weapons, Nick will sometimes mention that it is illegal for him to hold a firearm; since constitutional rights do not apply to those who break federal laws, it's most likely Nick was caught trying to con someone, before becoming a con man who ''couldn't'' use guns.
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
▲== Western Animation ==
* Walter Hardy in ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'' typically doesn't carry a gun. {{spoiler|The key word is typically -- as he gets older and slower, he resorts to carrying one... and killed Ben Parker with it. He is genuinely remorseful, and believes he deserves to stay in prison, even turning down the chance to escape in "Opening Night".}}
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
▲== Real Life ==
* [[Truth in Television]]: Not only con-men but burglars and other "professional" criminals will not carry guns, because the prison sentence for possessing a gun during a crime is much greater than without one. Plus they really wouldn't use it anyway. Unless you actually are willing to kill someone, it is just false courage.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Con Man]]
[[Category:Crime and Punishment Tropes]]
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