History ArtisticLicenseGunSafety / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/HenryStickmin'':
** This is [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in one event in ''Stealing the Diamond'', where Henry attempts to use a gun from a display case to shoot two museum guards, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome only for]] the gun to not be loaded, as it ''is'' a museum display.

** In the Citadel in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', Shepard can overhear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLpgxry542M this conversation]] where the gunnery chief chews out a couple of recruits for unsafe gun handling practices (they've essentially forgotten the "know what's behind your target" rule). The "gun" they're firing is the main cannon of a dreadnought, whose projectiles hit with the [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter kinetic energy of a nuke]], so hitting the wrong target can have... consequences. Particularly because as a weapon fired into a no atmosphere, low gravity space, what's "behind" the target is defined as "''Literally everything'' in the potentially infinite realm of space in any conceivable cone of fire in the direction of the intended target.[[note]]Note that there is a planet, Klendagon, which you can visit in the games which has [[RegionalRedecoration a large gouge in its surface]] from a near-miss with a very large kinetic round at some point in the distant past. [[spoiler: You eventually learn that this was the result of a Reaper dreadnought (which you can also visit) being taken out with a ''very large'' BFG thirty-seven million years before, only for the round to overpenetrate and glance off of Klendagon light years away. Presumably that slug is still careening through space. Also note that the gunnery chief is probably wrong; the Mass Effect codices note that firing at ships near planets is extremely dangerous due to the chance of hitting the planet, but in deep space, where shells move at appx 1.3% of the speed of light and given the light years between stars, the odds of hitting something in the background are incredibly small. For comparison, when the ''galaxy'' Andromeda and the Milky Way merge, simulations show the chances of two ''stars'' (forget 20 kilogram slugs) colliding out of the trillions of candidates are negligible. The odds of a small slug finding a target are too remote to contemplate.]][[/note]]

** Potentially much worse can happen in reality, since a round where only the primer fires (known as a "squib load") can often push the bullet just far enough to lodge in the barrel; if another round is fired behind it, it can result in the destruction of the gun and severe injury to the shooter...

* ''Videogame/Metro2033'' and ''Videogame/MetroLastLight'' has [[PlayerCharacter Artyom]] being a horrendously dangerous person to be around, as he has a tendency to play with his guns (which are [[ScavengerWorld bolted together from metal pipes and furniture, and firing 20+ year old surplus ammo]]) [[IdleAnimation when idle]]. He will toss the ''fully loaded'' Bastard submachinegun into the air until he knocks himself in the head with it and play with the selector switch [[ReliablyUnreliableGuns til it breaks off]], play with the detonators on his fully loaded grenade launcher, and shove his fingers into the charging cable on the [[MagneticWeapon Volt driver]].

* A massive plot point in ''VideoGame/Yakuza4'' is how [[spoiler: the guns Saejima used for the Ueno hit were loaded with rubber bullets, which were supposed to be a non-lethal means of riot control. Thing is, rubber bullets can still be lethal if shot at close range or at the head, which Saejima does since he carries out the hit in a cramped ramen shop]].

* ''VideoGame/SenranKagura'': Ryouna, a highly trained shinobi who routinely fends off hundreds of lesser ninjas, fights with [[DualWielding a pair of guns]] that she fires with her ''pinky fingers'' on the trigger. Potentially {{justified}} by her [[TooKinkyToTorture extreme masochism]], but it's still far from the proper way to handle firearms.

* ''Franchise/SilentHill''

* ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest'': You can be deafened if you don't put on sound-dampening earmuffs. It's stated in-game that the guns are ''NOT'' a toy and you have to follow safety procedures with guns. The ''Police Quest'' series is all about [[ShownTheirWork following correct police procedure]]. If you click your gun on a suspect, you'll shoot them and get a GameOver where you're chewed out for being trigger-happy. The proper procedure is to use the gun on yourself (to equip it) and then talk to the suspect, which will make your character order them to stand down. Additionally, when putting a suspect in a cell, you are required to leave your gun in a bin by the door. If you fail to do so, the suspect will grab your gun while you're uncuffing him and shoot you.

** Every single pistol in ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' is twirled while being taken out ''and'' put away, increasing the chance of a negligent discharge.

** This is [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in one event in ''Stealing the Diamond'', where Henry attacks to use a gun from a display case to shoot two museum guards, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome only for]] the gun to not be loaded, as it ''is'' a museum display.

* In the ''VideoGame/HenryStickmin'' series entry ''Fleeing the Complex'', one event allows him and Ellie to use two different weapons to deal with the guards. Choosing Sniper Rifle and Crossbow has Henry leap into the air and perform a No-Scope 360... shooting Ellie as he lands.

* VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} is extremely bad at gun safety. She fires four pistols wildly and indiscriminately in small, enclosed spaces, twirls her guns during punch combos, has two guns on her legs that apparently fire themselves, adjusts her glasses with the business end of a pistol, and even fires her guns within inches of the ears of her human allies. Everything she does is so reckless, one would think she would kill herself with potential misfire. Of course, [[AWizardDIdIt she's an Umbra Witch]], and she mostly fights in Purgatorio, where she can't be seen, heard, or felt (except by Cereza) in the human plane of reality.

** ''VideoGame/{{BioShock Infinite}}'' and the ''Burial at Sea'' episodes have the protagonist duo, Booker and Elizabeth, keep their fingers on the triggers of either the Pistol or Hand Cannon weapons even when either standing idle or being outside of combat. Doing this could lead to a potential misfire. They'll also hold both weapons upwards when not firing, rather than at the ground in case the weapons go off unintentionally.

** Every single pistol in VideoGame/Borderlands2 is twirled while being taken out ''and'' put away, increasing the chance of a negligent discharge.

* A number of first-person shooters play this one straight as an arrow, showing the gun being held with a finger on the trigger and ''twitching''. This may be justified since the character has to fire the gun instantly. If the character's finger was off the trigger, there would either be a delay in the firing animation or it would look weird as their finger instantly teleported into position.
** However, many modern FPS games will cause the character to lower their weapon, or be otherwise unable to fire if aimed at a friendly NPC, or while in an area with no enemies (or force the character to holster their weapons there, even if they can't do that elsewhere). Some games even will have the [=NPCs=] act annoyed at you if you hold a weapon in their faces.
** Due to ArtificialStupidity, allied [=NPCs=] can and ''will'' walk directly across the player's line of fire ''[[TooDumbToLive while you're trying to shoot enemies]]''. Or worse yet, try to shoot enemies while ''your'' character's head is directly in the way. This also happens due to Natural Stupidity / poor situational awareness when playing multiplayer and one's teammates run across the line of fire.
** You'll sometimes see the player character holding a big gun in ''one hand''. This is getting better and sometimes when it looks like they're holding it in one hand, they're actually not.

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* A number of first-person shooters play this one straight as an arrow, showing the gun being held with a finger on the trigger and ''twitching''. This may be justified since the character has to fire the gun instantly. If the character's finger was off the trigger, there would either be a delay in the firing animation or it would look weird.

** ''VideoGame/{{BioShock Infinite}}'' and The Burial at Sea episodes has the titular duo, Booker and Elizabeth, keep their fingers on the triggers of either the Pistol or Hand Cannon weapons even when either standing idle or being outside of combat. Doing this could lead to a potential misfire. They'll also hold both weapons upwards when not firing, rather than at the ground in case the weapons go off unintentionally.

** ''VideoGame/{{BioShock Infinite}}'' and The Burial at Sea episodes has the titular duo, Booker and Elizabeth, keep their fingers on the triggers of either the Pistol or Hand Cannon weapons even when either standing idle or being outside of combat. Doing this could lead to a potential misfire. They'll also aim both weapons upwards when not firing, rather than at the ground in case the weapons go off unintentionally.

** ''VideoGame/{{BioShock Infinite}}'' and The Burial at Sea episodes has the titular duo, Booker and Elizabeth, keep their fingers on the triggers of either the Pistol or Hand Cannon weapons even when either standing idle or being outside of combat. Doing this could lead to a potential misfire.

** ''VideoGame/{{BioShock Infinite}}'' and The Burial at Sea episodes, has the titular duo, Booker and Elizabeth keep their fingers on the triggers of either the Pistol or Hand Cannon weapons even when either standing idle or being outside of combat. Doing this could lead to a potential misfire.

** ''VideoGame/{{BioShockInfinite}}'' and The Burial at Sea episodes, has the titular duo, Booker and Elizabeth keep their fingers on the triggers of either the Pistol or Hand Cannon weapons even when either standing idle or being outside of combat. Doing this could lead to a potential misfire.

** ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|Infinite}}'' and The Burial at Sea episodes, has the titular duo, Booker and Elizabeth keep their fingers on the triggers of either the Pistol or Hand Cannon weapons even when either standing idle or being outside of combat. Doing this could lead to a potential misfire.