Riot shotgun

This article refers to shotguns designed for use by law enforcement officers and civilians. For related variants intended for military use, see combat shotgun.
Mossberg 590 pump-action riot shotgun, with 20-inch barrel, black plastic furniture, and long magazine tube

A riot shotgun is a shotgun designed or modified for use as a primarily defensive weapon, by the use of a short barrel and sometimes a larger magazine capacity than shotguns marketed for hunting.[1][2] The riot shotgun is used by military personnel for guard duty and was at one time used for riot control, and is commonly used as a door breaching and patrol weapon by law enforcement personnel, as well as a home defense weapon by civilians.[3][4] Guns of this type are often labeled as breaching shotguns, tactical shotguns or special-purpose shotguns to denote the larger scope of their use; however, these are largely marketing terms.

  1. ^ "Riot gun". Retrieved 2007-09-18. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law. riot gun n: a small arm used to disperse rioters rather than to inflict serious injury or death; especially : a short-barreled shotgun
  2. ^ SAAMI Glossary. "Gun, riot". Archived from the original on 2003-08-24. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  3. ^ Chuck Hawks. "Guns for Home Defense". Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  4. ^ Massad Ayoob (December 2003). "Long guns still popular home-defense option". Shooting Industry.