This could be either a smart idea or a really stupid thought, but this is a suggestion for specifically the weapon you could find on the ground beside a dead guard in one of the bathrooms.

Don't worry, I'm not going into the idea of using it as a gun to shoot SCPs or to use it as self defence against the Nine-Tailed Fox, this could be considered a beginners trap when first playing the game and coming across the weapon.

First off, make it optional to pick up and use, but mention nothing about the weapon, the condition its in, if it has any ammo, or better yet, if it even works. This can leave the player paranoid to either test the weapon in case it has limited ammo or if it would catch any attention towards roaming SCPs or NTFs, this could possibly trick the player into testing the gun only when they feel they really need to use it.

The truth behind the weapon is: It doesn't work... At all.

Why is this a good idea? It gives players a sense of hope until it ultimately comes down to using the gun only to hear that disappointing "click", even if they used it right away, it would still take hope away from them and keep that horror element in the game. (It won't be as effective as maybe the player choosing to use it when SCP-096 gets a little upset with them.)

There's not a whole lot to this idea, it's only little, but can be effective in a way. Perhaps this can be expanded on by providing the player a gun with maybe even very little ammo, enough to maybe creative an objective within the game which requires a shot or two, but not enough to do some damage or kill an NPC.

Any thoughts?

The ultimate stand is no guns whatsoever, but a "false" gun might count as just something as simple as the navigator and the radio: things that appear on screen, and have no use other than to comfort the player, considering they are not necessary.

I don't think they'd ever give it a single bullet, but just having it on screen could maybe be considered. ;P

Nope, we discussed this A LOT in the past, and it was decided not to add it. The main reason is that it will give you a false sense of security, and while it might be useful to later scare the player even more, it is a bad move since those tense moments when you don't know what might happen will lose some of its value.

Plus, it blocks a bit of the screen, which makes you feel a lot safer since there is now something between the scary and deadly SCPs and you.