History Main / CrooksAreBetterArmed

** The "Picadilly" mission from [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 2019 reboot]] plays this straight however, in which terrorists armed with automatic weapons and suicide-vests tear up the titular Picadilly Circus in London. The British police and SAS on the scene start with only pistols ([[CriticalResearchFailure which British beat-cops don't carry]]). Garrick even lampshades this at the end of the mission, saying that the government is holding them back by limiting how they can fight.

* ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'' more or less has the criminals (players) and the cops (AI) on equal footing in firepower, but the Wolf Pack DLC adds a GrenadeLauncher, which can easily obliterate the cops. ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' follows the same trend as the first game where the players and the enemies use the same weapons, but additional DLC adds even more powerful weapons for the players such as rocket launchers, flamethrowers, frag grenades, melee weapons (swords, bats, knives, etc), and many other weapons that the cops will never have.

** The main timeline games generally averts this, with the starting weapons for the player's faction being better or at least equivalent to whatever the non-western army or terrorists wield, though a few levels taking place in populated cities play this straight. In the infamous ''No Russian'' mission, Russian terrorists with military-grade weapons, explosives and body armor make quick work of both all the innocents in the terminal and airport security that has only pistols. Even the responding Russian SWAT team is only much of a challenge because of their numbers, as the terrorists use grenade launchers.
** The [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 2019 reboot]] has a mission in which terrorists with automatic weapons and suicide-vests tear up Picadilly Circus in London. The British police and SAS on the scene start with only pistols ([[CriticalResearchFailure which British beat-cops don't carry]]). Garrick even lampshades this at the end of the mission, saying that the government is holding them back by limiting how they can fight.
* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'': Kiryu on occasions have encountered organized criminals that had access to weapons like rocket launchers, machine guns, and as well as a ''gatling gun'' (which is usually fired from helicopters). On the topic of helicopters with a gatling gunner inside, Kiryu has faced three of these, and took down two of them. The Amon Clan tops them by having access to a KillSat.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare''
** The main timeline generally averts this, with the starting weapons for the player's faction being better or at least equivalent to whatever the non-western army or terrorists wield, though a few levels taking place in populated cities play this straight. In the infamous ''No Russian'' mission, Russian terrorists with military-grade weapons, explosives and body armor make quick work of both all the innocents in the terminal and airport security that has only pistols. Even the responding Russian SWAT team is only much of a challenge because of their numbers, as the terrorists use grenade launchers.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare'' generally averts this, with the starting weapons for the player's faction being better or at least equivalent to whatever the non-western army or terrorists wield, though a few levels taking place in populated cities avert this. In the infamous ''No Russian'' mission, Russian terrorists with military-grade weapons, explosives and body armor make quick work of both all the innocents in the terminal and airport security that has only pistols. Even the responding Russian SWAT team is only much of a challenge because of their numbers, as the terrorists use grenade launchers.

Often in fiction and even sometimes in nonfiction when the police and crooks start a firefight, the criminals will have more powerful guns. They'll be wielding automatic weapons, sometimes even explosive ones, and on the extreme end, [[UpToEleven get access to military hardware]]. As for the cops, they'll be forced to fight back with pistols.

* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}: Kiryu on occasions have encountered organized criminals that had access to weapons like rocket launchers, machine guns, and as well as a ''gatling gun'' (which is usually fired from helicopters). On the topic of helicopters with a gatling gunner inside, Kiryu has faced three of these, and took down two of them. The Amon Clan tops them by having access to a KillSat.

Often in fiction and even sometimes in nonfiction when the police and crooks start a firefight, the criminals will have more powerful guns. They'll be wielding automatic weapons, and sometimes even explosive ones. As for the cops, they'll be forced to fight back with pistols.

* Normally doesn't happen in the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse, with the rare instances being quite UpToEleven situations:

* UpToEleven in ''Film/SupermanReturns''. One crook surprises the police with '''a mounted 20mm Gatling gun'''. ''Very'' good that ol' bulletproof Superman is there to rescue them.

The reason for this trope can vary. Sometimes its because its based on historical times when crooks were better armed than police or when criminal organizations like Mexican Cartels started hiring [[FromCamouflageToCriminal ex-special forces]] for muscle like Los Zetas. Sometimes it implies that the law enforcement is held back by HonorBeforeReason; they could do better against crooks if they'd use more deadly guns, but at the cost of looking like an occupying army. Other times it can seem like a critique against the United States' Second Amendment; why do we let the public gain such dangerous weapons legally?[[note]]In reality, military-grade ordnance like fully automatic weapons and explosives are not outright impossible for U.S. citizens to own, but lawful ownership is very, ''very'' strictly regulated, to the point that they might as well be banned to those without a lot of money and a very high tolerance for miles of red tape. Even getting them illegally would be an absurdly difficult task for your average street thug[[/note]] At its core, though, it's ultimately a way of increasing the stakes, so that the viewer roots for the underdogs.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norco_shootout Norco Shootout]]: On May 9th, 1980, five bank robbers in Norco, California armed with automatic rifles, semi-auto pistols, shotguns, and explosives, got into a gunfight with sheriffs deputies responding to the robbery call. Massively outgunning the police, the robbers wounded one of the officers in the initial shootout, and then carjacked a truck after their own getaway car crashed as a result of their driver being killed. Then they led the police on a wild car chase in which they fired on perusing officers and threw home made bombs out the back of the truck at them. After pulling ahead of the deputies, the robbers stopped and set up an ambush, deciding their superior firepower was enough for them to stand and fight. For a while they were able to hold the police off, but the arrival of one officer who brought his own automatic rifle caused them to flee. Ultimately, 2 of the robbers were killed and the other three were arrested and sentenced to life in prison. On the other side, 8 officers and 3 civilians were injured, and one officer was killed. The robbers also damaged or disabled a total of 33 police vehicles, including a police helicopter, forcing it to land.

** In Film/RoboCop2, the same gun only knocks [=RoboCain=] off balance for a moment without doing any damage, showing just how tough [=RoboCain=] is.

* ''Film/DieHard'': TheHero John Mc Clane is armed only with his standard-issue 9mm Beretta while the terrorists carry sub-machine guns, assault rifles, a whole lot of explosives and even an anti-tank rocket launcher (and after he manages to poach a machine gun of his own, John is still outnumbered on every encounter where he puts it to use, forcing him to keep running for his life). With this firepower and the advantage of being entrenched, the crooks manage to easily fend off the LAPD for hours.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hollywood_shootout North Hollywood shootout]]: two gunmen, Larry Phillips and Emil Mătăsăreanu, held up a Bank of America. The LAPD ended up completely outgunned as the two gunmen were wearing body armor and armed with fully automatic assault rifles with armor-piercing rounds and custom [[MoreDakka drum magazines]], so the cops' service revolvers and pistols were completely ineffective. The police actually raided a nearby gun shop for AR-15 rifles and commandeered an armored money transporter in order to fight back effectively (which actually turned out to be AllForNothing since by the time they got this equipment ready, the LAPD SWATTeam arrived and eliminated the second robber with their own AR-15s; the borrowed rifles never fired a single shot). After this incident, LAPD were regularly issued AR-15s in their squad cars. Many police departments across the United States followed suit in ordering rifles for their officers.

* This was a major issue police in the US had during TheGreatDepression. Part of the reason criminals like John Dillinger and Bonnie and Clyde were so successful was that officers were often armed with little more than self-bought handguns, whereas such criminals stole military-grade automatic rifles and submachine guns from National Guard armories that left police hopelessly outmatched in direct confrontations. The fact that, once forced into a LastStand, this massive firepower would allow them to take a few officers with them meant that [[MultipleGunshotDeath whenever the police had a clear shot at taking them down, they didn't spare the bullets.]]
* Sadly, this was the case during the years of internal terrorism in [[UsefulNotes/{{Peru}} Perú]] with the police sent to deal with the insurgents, to the point that the army had to be called in as cops were killed like dogs without effective means to fight back.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norco_shootout Norco Shootout]]: On May 9th, 1980, five bank robbers in Norco, California armed with automatic rifles, semi-auto pistols, shotguns, and explosives, got into a gunfight with sheriffs deputies responding to the robbery call. Massively outgunning the police, the robbers wounded one of the officers in the initial shootout, and then carjacked a truck after their own getaway car crashed as a result of their driver being killed. Then they led the police on a wild car chase in which they fired on perusing officers and through home made bombs out the back of the truck at them. After pulling ahead of the deputies, the robbers stopped and set up an ambush, deciding their superior firepower was enough for them to stand and fight. For a while they were able to hold the police off, but the arrival of one officer who brought his own automatic rifle caused them to flee. Ultimately, 2 of the robbers were killed and the other three were arrested and sentenced to life in prison. On the other side, 8 officers and 3 civilians were injured, and one officer was killed. The robbers also damaged or disabled a total of 33 police vehicles, including a police helicopter, forcing it to land.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_FBI_Miami_shootout 1986 FBI Miami shootout]]: Former Army Ranger Michael Lee Platt and ex-Marine William Russell Matix were outnumbered 4 to 1 but kept the FBI pinned down thanks to superior firepower, which was provided solely by Platt's Mini-14 rifle (Matix had a 12-gauge shotgun, but only fired one shot that missed before he took a bullet to the head and was knocked out for much of the fight). Both criminals suffered multiple wounds (Platt 12 and Matix 6) before dying, and both were drug free. This incident lead the FBI to completely change its policies regarding the usage of semi-automatic pistols,[[note]]only 3 of the 8 agents at the scene had semi-auto sidearms as opposed to revolvers because at the time, the FBI required agents carrying semi-autos to pass more rigorous training protocols[[/note]] the wearing of body armor, and the development of the [[http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2019/02/26/fbi-ammunition-test-protocol-relevancy-to-self-defense/ FBI testing protocol]] to choose a more powerful handgun cartridge (which lead to the short-lived adoption of 10mm Auto and then the development of the .40 S&W caliber, which was the dominant cartridge of choice for American law enforcement for 25 years until the FBI and most [=LEOs=] switched back to 9mm around 2015).

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norco_shootout]]: On May 9th, 1980, five bank robbers in Norco, California armed with automatic rifles, semi-auto pistols, shotguns, and explosives, got into a gunfight with sheriffs deputies responding to the robbery call. Massively outgunning the police, the robbers wounded one of the officers in the initial shootout, and then carjacked a truck after their own getaway car crashed as a result of their driver being killed. Then they led the police on a wild car chase in which they fired on perusing officers and through home made bombs out the back of the truck at them. After pulling ahead of the deputies, the robbers stopped and set up an ambush, deciding their superior firepower was enough for them to stand and fight. For a while they were able to hold the police off, but the arrival of one officer who brought his own automatic rifle caused them to flee. Ultimately, 2 of the robbers were killed and the other three were arrested and sentenced to life in prison. On the other side, 8 officers and 3 civilians were injured, and one officer was killed. The robbers also damaged or disabled a total of 33 police vehicles, including a police helicopter, forcing it to land.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Brinks_robbery 1981 Brinks Robbery]]: On October 20th, 1981, four members of a radical leftist group called the "Weather Underground", along with six members of the "Black Liberation Army", staged a deadly robbery on a Brinks Armored truck in Nanuet, New York. Heavily armed with fully automatic M16 rifles, the BLA robbers easily mowed down the revolver-armed truck guards, killing one and wounding the other so fast the two guards only managed to fire one shot. Then after loading the stolen money into a U-Haul truck, the robbers ambushed a group of police officers after the truck was pulled over. Once again, the automatic rifles wielded by the robbers gave them a significant firepower advantage, as the police were mostly also armed only with revolvers, along with a few pump shotguns. Two police officers died in the ensuing gunfight, while the only casualty among the robbers was WU member Marylyn Buck, who accidentally shot herself in the leg while drawing a pistol, though three of the ten robbers were stopped and arrested as they tried to flee the scene.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Brink's_robbery 1981 Brinks Robbery]]: On October 20th, 1981, four members of a radical leftist group called the "Weather Underground", along with six members of the "Black Liberation Army", staged a deadly robbery on a Brinks Armored truck in Nanuet, New York. Heavily armed with fully automatic M16 rifles, the BLA robbers easily mowed down the revolver-armed truck guards, killing one and wounding the other so fast the two guards only managed to fire one shot. Then after loading the stolen money into a U-Haul truck, the robbers ambushed a group of police officers after the truck was pulled over. Once again, the automatic rifles wielded by the robbers gave them a significant firepower advantage, as the police were mostly also armed only with revolvers, along with a few pump shotguns. Two police officers died in the ensuing gunfight, while the only casualty among the robbers was WU member Marylyn Buck, who accidentally shot herself in the leg while drawing a pistol, though three of the ten robbers were stopped and arrested as they tried to flee the scene.

** Up until that infamous shootout, ironically US cops were generally ''less'' well-armed than their counterparts across the Atlantic despite the fact that most European countries had and still have much heavier restrictions on weapons ownership: Whereas a typical US street cop would generally carry a revolver and keep a shotgun in the car, European [=LEOs=] generally wield semi-automatic sidearms with a sub-machine gun for a trunk gun. The reason for this was that well-equipped and organised domestic terrorist groups were relatively uncommon in the United States at the time, the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan being reduced to a few stubborn and mostly impotent holdouts and the RightWingMilitiaFanatic movement more focused on defense than offense. The same cannot be said of [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles Britain]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction Germany]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_Lead_(Italy) Italy]] or to a lesser extent [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_the_Jackal France.]]

** Another big reason why the agents on-scene were so outgunned was due to a [[ContrivedCoincidence horribly bad coincidence that happened all at once]]: two agents at two separate locations on the stakeout team that were carrying fully automatic guns (specifically, an M16 assault rifle and an [=MP5=] sub-machine gun) had to go to the restroom at the same time, which was right before '''the exact moment the rest of the team spotted the criminals''' and took off in hot pursuit, thus rendering these men stranded and unable to participate in the shootout. [[ForWantOfANail In addition to this, a second shotgun that should have been available to the agents had earlier in the day been moved into a trunk instead of being accessible on hand for the gunfight.]] Former Agent Ed Mireles (the man who killed Platt & Matix) in [[https://edmireles.com/ his 2018 book]] referred to these small events collapsing into disaster as a [[DisasterDominoes "cosmic domino effect"]] at work.

* A common explanation given for this in RealLife is that police departments have to get the mayor/city council to sign off on their budget. Criminals who can't afford a powerful gun [[NoDelaysForTheWicked can either steal it outright or get the money illegally.]]
* The other issue with averting this trope is one of public perception. Having every street cop walking around in full SWAT gear and carrying an AR-15 slung across their chest makes people nervous, especially when [[RabidCop a certain subset of police officers]] start finding more excuses to ''use'' those AR-15s, as many US local police forces are discovering to their cost.
* Linked to the budget explanation, most criminals that aren't tied to organized crime can be expected to have only legal or illegal but widely available on black market weapons. While criminals in {{the mafia}} or {{yakuza}} or [[TheCartel drug cartels]] have enough money to buy armories full of illegal weapons.
* Typically, police officers on patrol are lightly armed, with only a pistol holstered and possibly a shotgun or rifle in the patrol car. If the emergency they're called for involves battling a heavily-armed criminal, that's when a SWAT team will be sent who will have stronger weapons.
* Averted in some high-risk areas like Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport (AKA one of the most secure airports in the world), and Fort Knox, and many Army installations, where security and police carry full-auto submachine guns (and Fort Knox is right next to an Army base with [[TankGoodness plenty of armored cavalry]]). Airports have higher security than the usual city block, though. In UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, the NYPD does deploy officers who are armed with heavier weaponry such as sub-machine guns and assault rifles thanks to the city being on alert for terrorists ever since 9/11.

* Another matter is the fact that police are obliged to try to keep collateral damage to bystanders and property to a minimum whenever possible. Criminals are only bound by their own personal opinions on violence and collateral damage (and if a criminal is going to go to the effort to acquire a gun, it's safe to assume that said criminal is willing to use it). As such, criminals are often more free to use whatever weaponry they can get their hands on than the police are, unless things get so bad that the higher-ups tell the people on the street that they are authorized to do whatever it takes to take the criminal down.
* Yet another reason for why this trend exists in other places aside from the USA is because of dissenting political opinions on the role and strength that the police should have; the effort of avoiding instances of PoliceBrutality can at times make the police ineffective when dealing with well-armed criminals.

* While not a true example, NY SWAT faced off with a drug cartel while both sides were armed and armored with same weapons and armor. Had it been normal cops responding, the cartel would have been better equipped.

* Another matter is the fact that police are obliged to try to keep collateral damage to bystanders and property to a minimum whenever possible. Criminals are only bound by their own personal opinions on violence and collateral damage. As such, criminals are often more free to use whatever weaponry they can get their hands on than the police are, unless things get so bad that the higher-ups tell the people on the street that they are authorized to do whatever it takes to take the criminal down.

* In ''Film/{{Firestorm}}'', the Hong Kong Police Force gets severe casualties when they are engaged by a heavily armed robbery crew to the point of having a showdown in Central where they blow the CNG pipeline as a last act of defiance before the crew is taken down.

* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': A lot of Frank's military hardware comes from the criminals he kills, so he's at least as well-armed as they are (and he's determined to be the only one around with that kind of firepower). One story has him scope out an arms deal when a sentry wearing night-vision goggles fires an ''anti-tank missile'' at him, which leads him to discover a criminal gang getting their stuff directly from corrupt quartermasters.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Feed The Beast'': It's more like "''some'' crooks are better armed", but it's a representation of why [[BigBad Patrick "The Tooth Fairy" Woichik]] is such a menace: at the end of one episode, Woichik is surrounded by multiple gang-bangers carrying shotguns and pistols looking to kill him in a drive-by, and he [[CurbStompBattle annihilates all of them in three seconds single-handedly]] by whipping out an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_P90 FN P90 sub-machine gun]] (a.k.a. that gun made famous in the ''Franchise/{{Stargateverse}}'' shows) and [[MoreDakka emptying the whole magazine]].
[[/folder]]

* In ''Film/DarkmanIITheReturnOfDurant'', the evil plan of BigBad Robert G. Durant is to invoke this by creating nuclear-powered FrickingLaserBeams that he will sell to the city's criminal underworld at a premium rate and monopolize the illegal weapons market as a result.

* Surprisingly {{Subverted}} (with the subversions being {{Justified}} by the police forces usually featured in ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'':

** Up until that infamous shootout, ironically US cops were generally ''less'' well-armed than their counterparts across the Atlantic despite the fact that most European countries had and still have much heavier restrictions on weapons ownership: Whereas a typical US street cop would generally carry a revolver and keep a shotgun in the car, European [=LEOs=] generally wield semi-automatic sidearms with a sub-machine gun for a trunk gun. The reason for this was that well-equipped and organised domestic terrorist groups were relatively uncommon in the United States at the time, the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan being reduced to a few stubborn and mostly impotent holdouts and the RightWingMilitiaFanatic movement more focused on defense than offense. The same cannot be said of [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles Britain]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction Germany]] or to a lesser extent [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_the_Jackal France.]]

One of the signals that the work is set on an UrbanHellscape. See also OffscreenVillainDarkMatter, when it comes to crooks having inexplicable access to weaponry and equipment far more effective than would realistically make sense for them to be able to get a hold of.