What type of gun could they be talking about?

Factual Questions
1

I’ve been quite surprised by all the non-Canadian media coverage of yesterday’s shooting spree in Montreal. What is less surprising is the fact that there seems to be an obvious inaccuracy about one aspect of the story that’s been reprinted and reported repeatedly.

Of the gunman’s three weapons, one is described as a “12-calibre gun that can pump four bullets per shot”. This description can be found here in the Toronto Star, here in the less well known Barrie Advance, and, as of yesterday, in many other news pages.

I assume that “12-calibre” is really referring to “12 gauge” and thus to a shotgun. Is there any shotgun that “can pump four bullets (sic) per shot”, or even four rounds in succession with one pull of the trigger? I’m pretty sure the answer is ‘no’, but as someone who knows next to nothing about firearms, I could easily be wrong.

Thanks!

2

Hmm. A few posibilities:

  1. There is such a thing as a full-auto shotgun. But it’s kinda hard for a civilian to obtain one.

  2. A shot round that holds 4 shot balls (like 0000 or whatever)

  3. The media doesn’t know what it’s talking about.

My vote is #3. :stuck_out_tongue:

3

It’s not the media’s fault. The cops don’t seem to know what the hell they’re talking about. I’m sure the reporters are asking the right questions, they’re just getting the wrong answers.
I’m betting it’s some 12 ga shotgun that holds only 4 rounds. “4 bullets per shot” probably just means per reload.

4

The media never knows what it is talking about. But, there is a weapon that can fire four bullets per shot and that is the COP .357 Derringer

Hope that link works. Anyone seen the movie Blade Runner?

Later

5

The COP fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled, just like any other revolver or semi-automatic pistol.

6

I’ve been looking through the online coverage by the Globe and Mail and by CBC, and it appears that the weapons he had include a handgun, a Beretta CX4 Storm semi-auto carbine, and a 12 gauge shotgun. “12-calibre gun that can pump four bullets per shot” must be what some reporter ignorant of firearms wrote down after hearing “12-gauge pump shotgun with a 4 shot magazine.”

7

no, it’s just frenglish. this happened in montreal… a lot of the quotes in the anglo press, especially in the early stages, were just transcriptions by reporters from francophone officials (police, medical, etc.) whose english is passable, but not fluent.

8

My only other thought would be that it may be a semi-auto shotgun. Many of those can fire 4 rounds per second if you pull the trigger fast enough. Maybe someone heard 4 rounds per second and thought 4 rounds per shot.

9

A firearm that fires more than one round per trigger pull is a machinegun by ATF’s definition.