Compared to an AR-15, a shotgun’s firepower seems quaint. *Only *2-8 shots? The spread is nothing like it is in the movies and games, you still have to aim, fire from the hip and you will probably miss. Yet the small, spread out pellets still drastically limits your effective lethal range. They won’t go through all but the shoddiest of body armor.
So by what rationale have they been banned? They are so illegal that I’ve read that having a hacksaw stored on the same shelf as a shotgun is about the same crime as having an illegal machine-gun.
It’s basically a modification done to smuggle your shotgun into places you’re not supposed to have a shotgun and usually to commit a crime while you’re there.
They’re not illegal though, you just have to pay a $200 tax stamp and wait a long time for approval (I think it’s around 9 months+ today). Short barreled rifles are under the same restrictions.
I’d be very surprised if anyone was prosecuted for “having a hacksaw stored on the same shelf as a shotgun” though you’re probably being facetious. It is not illegal to own e.g. a short barrel for an AR-15, but it is illegal to mount it on a receiver without the stamp.
A person can be charged with constructive possession of an illegal device if they possess the otherwise legal material to assemble it. If a person has in his possession or control the ingredients to make an explosive device, he can be charged with constructive possession of that device.
There are guns on the market that many uninformed folks would consider a sawed off shotgun. 14" smooth bore barrel, shoots shotshells, and something that resembles a pistol grip except for the angle. However it is not a shotgun. Why not you might ask.
Federal law defines a shotgun as having a smooth bore and designed to be fired from the shoulder. No shoulder stock, not a shotgun.
In that case, a 12g 00 buck shell sends nine large caliber pellets, slightly smaller than .38 or 9mm, flying at over 1,300 feet per second. At close range, why are you using a sawed off at any other range, the spread isn’t really a factor.
Not quite in this case. PDF, but the summary is (copy paste doesn’t work well with this doc) that in 1992 parts kits were deemed okay. However, if it is apparent that the parts serve no other purpose except to make an NFA weapon, it’s not okay.
As far as ARs, the general rule is “once a rifle always a rifle.” You can buy bare receivers and build a rifle or a pistol off of it. You can have AR rifle and pistol parts in your house, even though you could potentially put a pistol barrel on a rifle. But you can’t put a pistol barrel on a receiver once it’s been a rifle without going through NFA.
The Mossberg Shockwave is the most popular one right now. This is true, though a weirder case. Normally, these are under the NFA but subject to a $5 tax instead of $200. But in this specific case, it is exempt per ATF rules. It’s not a legal shotgun because no butt and not a pistol because no rifling.
The Shockwave is fun as hell to shoot, too, though it wouldn’t serve any purpose I can think of (that my current firearms don’t already do better).
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Handguns are not all that effective and rifles require a long barrel to attain high effectiveness. Sawed-off shotguns give you long gun effectiveness in an easy to carry and conceal form. They’re usually difficult to match forensically because of the smoothbore barrel and commonality of the ammo.
Most criminals don’t need more range than a shotgun provides and they’d rather not shoot at body armor-protected police unless they’re uncommonly dumb/suicidal or there’s a serious social breakdown.
Does a rifle with a 12" or 16" barrel not have the same effectiveness as a shotgun with the same barrel length? Am genuinely asking, I don’t know why a particular bullet shape/barrel twist would be more effective with a barrel of a given length.
Perhaps but 12-16’’ barrels are not that short. If we’re talking about sawed-off shotguns, we should be looking at weapons with 8’’ barrels or less.
Rifles are much more dependent on velocity for their effectiveness, have proportionately more powder which is slower-burning and therefore require a longer barrel. AR-15-like rifles are especially reliant on high velocity. Shotgun powder is about as quick-burning as pistol powder.
I’m having difficulty finding charts of muzzle velocity for very short barrel shotguns. Perhaps someone else has better Googling skills.
The 1934 National Firearms Act banned a lot of different guns.
Fully automatic guns
Shotguns with barrels under 18"
Short barrel rifles
Silencers
Firearms with a caliber larger than 50 (except shotguns)
Destructive devices (grenades, explosives, poisoned gas)
Some of them should be banned. But short barrel shotguns, short barrel rifles and silencers could be legalized.
On rereading my post, I realize the emphasis might be read in the wrong place. I meant that most criminals don’t want to get into firefights with cops so defeating body armor is not a high priority. There are exceptions like the North Hollywood shootout or Mexican cartels but generally, criminals are undumb enough to realize that armed confrontation with cops is a bad move and may well end up like this: Slick Rick - Children's Story + Lyrics - Playback FM - GTA San Andreas - YouTube
Several police officers have been killed by shotgun hits that did not penetrate the vest because of the sheer amount of blunt impact they deliver. A load of 00 buckshot weight about 1.25 oz, the largest 9mm bullet weights about .33oz. They also have higher muzzle velocity than many handguns. so you are looking at significantly more total force delivered to the target.
range is a key factor with shotguns. At close range, a hit with a shotgun is catastrophic in ways a rifle round can barely approach. Imagine being hit with 5-9 9mm bullets at once.
at 40-50 yards shotguns could very well strike multiple targets standing next to each other. killing all of them if all are hit in critical areas. Aim is less of an issue at those ranges. inside of 20 yards, you definitely still need to aim well
Rifle powder is slower, but it is still pretty freakin fast. Maximum pressure in the AR-15 round is reached when the bullet is about 1 3/4" down the barrel. Compared to the max pressure point in pistol ammo which is near instantaneous and occurs before the bullet clears the brass cartridge mouth in some cases. Shotgun ammo reaches peak pressure before the blast wave clears the casing.
Pistols based on the AR action are plenty lethal, if not ideal. 10.5" barrel length is considered the practical minimum to achieve good energy.
