Not with the Safety On, You Won't: Difference between revisions

[[File:safetyson_9854.jpg|link=Preacher (Comic Book)|right]]

 

'''Simon Gruber:''' (calmly takes gun, releases safety) You've got to take the safety catch off. (Shoots Zeus in the leg) See, that works.|''[[Die Hard]] III''}}

 

* In ''[[Tucker and Dale Versus Evil]]'', the sheriff suffers a fatal accident in Tucker and Dale's cabin. One of the panicking college kids takes the sheriff's gun and tries to kill Tucker and Dale, but fails thanks to the safety. Dale ''[[Too Dumb to Live|helpfully points this out to him]]'' while Tucker gives him a look that just screams "What the hell is wrong with you". Fortunately for Tucker and Dale the kid ''[[Too Dumb to Live|points the gun at his own face]]'' while trying to disable the safety, [[I Just Shot Marvin in the Face|with predictable results]].

* {{spoiler|Billy}} pulls this on {{spoiler|Gale}} in the finale of ''[[Scream (film)|Scream]]''; she steals his gun as he holds the [[Final Girl]] hostage, and proceeds to run through a "the good guys win and the news reporter gets the scoop" scenario, when he stops to inform her that he knows something she doesn't:

** She gets a [[Take That]] back, however:

 

 

* In [[Artemis Fowl]] Book 3, Juliet disarms a hitman's pistol without him realizing it. After he threatens her with the useless weapon, she taunts him with the slide she removed from the weapon, then knocks him unconcious.

* An amusing variant appears in ''[[Discworld/Making Money|Making Money]]'' when Moist tracks down escaped forger Owlswick Jenkins in his workshop. Terrified of going back to prison, Jenkins threatens to commit suicide by eating a tube of highly toxic paint, but Moist snatches it out of his mouth when he tries.

** Inverted in ''[[Discworld/Men At Arms|Men At Arms]]''; When Detritus first hefts up the [[BF Ghundred-pound|siegebow]] later known as the Piecemaker to threaten an armourer, Corporal Nobbs expresses (possibly insincere) hope that the safety catch ''is'' on, and that the armorer has properly maintained it as it was known to succumb readily to metal fatigue. Detritus's reply: "[[Oh Crap|What are a safety catch?]]" (By ''[[Discworld/Night Watch|Night Watch]]'', Vimes has taught Detritus that "When Mister Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend".)

 

** And played straight on the Doctor's end as he went up against the [[Big Bad]] in the finale issue of IDW's ''The Forgotten'' miniseries.

* In the ''[[Due South]]'' episode "Free Willie":

'''Fraser''': I don't think so, because that would require knowing how to take off the safety. }}

* ''[[Chuck]]'': Chuck is supposed to get Sarah out of a locked freezer by shooting out the lock, but the gun doesn't work. Then Sarah tells him to take the safety off.

* From ''[[Leverage]]'':

** This happens in the pilot, "The Nigerian Job":

''Hardison looks down to check, and Nathan grabs the gun.'' }}

** Similarly, in "The Girls' Night Out Job", Sophie tells a thug pointing a gun at her that the safety is on. While he's checking the gun, Tara comes up behind him and breaks a vase over his head, commenting that the safety was off. [[Badass Boast|"Not to a grifter."]]

* In the first season ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' episode "The King of Knaves Affair" Napoleon Solo (under cover) takes advantage of a [[Not with the Safety On, You Won't|failure to check the safety]] to disarm a woman accosting him in his hotel room.

'''Napoleon Solo''' [''slowly walking towards Pepper'']: Alright then, better shoot and get it over with. [''Pepper fumbles with the pistol, which does not fire. Solo disarms her''] You see, the safety catch is on; it limits the range of the weapon considerably. }}

* The captain pulls this on Ken in the [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]] episode ''[[Fugitive Alien]]''. It's justified, Ken's from an alien race that uses lasers instead of bullets.

* In an episode of ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'', Centurions have boarded the ship. [[Non-Action Guy|Billy]] is about to help a Marine flank two that are fighting Lee, Jammer and two other Marines... but not before Dualla reminds him to remove the safety. Note that the safety was on in the first place because Dee told him to use it before [[Pants-Positive Safety|putting the gun in his pants]].

* ''[[Castle]]'': The murderer is cornered by Beckett while holding Castle hostage at gunpoint. After uncovering the murderer's motive, Castle knocks him down and wrests the gun from him. Beckett tells him he could have been killed, and Castle replies that the safety was on the whole time.

'''Castle''': Where's the fun in that? }}

* Used in ''[[The Sarah Connor Chronicles]]'' season two episode "The Good Wound". Reese points this out to someone holding a gun on him, and it distracts them long enough for him to draw his own (although not long enough for him to shoot).

* In the second episode of ''[[The Walking Dead]]'', [[Meet Cute|Andrea threatens to shoot Rick]] for bringing a hoarde of "walkers" to their location. Later, he advises her to take the safety off next time, and even gives her a quick lesson in handling a gun.

* An interesting subversion happens in an episode of ''[[21 Jump Street]]''. Hanson, posing a student, is being threatened by another student (named Ronnie) with a gun. He is saying things such as, "you could end up dead". The gun is cocked and incredibly close to Hanson's face. After the student is satisfied and begins walking away, the following exchange takes place:

'''Ronnie''': The safety don't work, man. Never did. }}

* Happens in an episode of ''[[Quantum Leap]]''. Sam is being held hostage by a woman he's been charged to protect (although, the person he's leaped into is really in cahoots with the bad guy, and the woman has just found out). Subverted in that it is Al who tells Sam that the safety is on. Since he is a hologram and the woman can't see him, he can examine the gun closely and at length. Also, the woman checks by actually trying to fire the gun, which doesn't work, and then [[Throw-Away Guns|throws the gun at Sam]]. [[Fridge Logic|Which is strange when you think about it]] because that basically meant [[Too Dumb to Live|she gave a man who she thinks wants to kill her a loaded gun]].