Giving Up the Gun

After hearing about a crime wave in the area or being the victim of a crime, a character buys a gun, but something happens that scares them into getting rid of it. Usually they almost accidentally shoot someone they care about.

The Dick Van Dyke Show

Appearances

• The Dick Van Dyke Show: Season 2, episode 15, "The Cat Burglar" (1962). The Petries and Helpers are frightened by a cat burglar in their neighborhood, and Jerry gives Rob a shotgun. When Rob hears a noise one night, he creeps downstairs with the gun and finds himself pointing it at Laura, so he decides to get rid of it.
• Good Times: Season 3, episode 2, "The Family Gun" (1975). As crime continues to rise in the neighborhood, James buys a gun, which subsequently goes missing on the same day a little boy in the building accidentally shoots himself. Eventually, Michael reveals that he hid the gun, then accidentally fires a shot at the ceiling when he tries to show that the gun isn't loaded, which prompts James to hand the gun over to Florida to get rid of it.
• WKRP in Cincinnati: Season 3, episode 20, "Nothing to Fear But..." (1981). After the station is robbed, Herb buys a gun to keep in his desk. That night, when everyone else is at Herb's advertising party downstairs, Johnny and Venus hear the security alarm go off and get Herb's gun to investigate, and Venus ends up pointing the gun at Andy, who had snuck into Mr. Carlson's office with the coatcheck girl from the party. The scare convinces everyone that keeping a loaded gun around is a bad idea.
• Too Close for Comfort: Season 3, episode 14, "To Buy or Not to Buy" (1983). After their apartment gets robbed, Henry decides to buy a gun, but when he hears a sound in the night and nearly takes a swing at Jackie with a golf club, he realizes that if he had a gun, he could have shot her, so he changes his mind.
• The Golden Girls: Season 1, episode 8, "The Break-in" (1985). Rose is so terrified after the house is robbed that she buys a gun, and one night, when the alarm goes off, she fires and almost hits Blanche and her date coming through the door, leading to the rest of the gang telling her the gun has to go.
• Dream On: Season 2, episode 7, "No, I'm Just Happy to See You" (1991). After he and Eddie get mugged twice, Martin walks into a gun shop and asks for the biggest gun they have (then buys the second biggest). When he catches a man robbing his apartment, he holds him at gunpoint for hours waiting for the cops to arrive. When the robber finally tries to make a run for it, Martin accidentally shoots him in the arm, and he feels so badly about having hurt someone that he lets the cops take the gun and vows never to buy another one.
• Herman's Head: Season 1, episode 23, "Guns 'n' Neurosis" (1992). After Herman's apartment gets robbed, Mr. Crawford talks him into buying a gun. In the middle of the night, Herman hears someone breaking into his apartment and shoots him. It turns out to be Mr. Crawford trying to "test" him. Herman's so disturbed by the incident that he gets rid of the gun.