The role of the tactical shotgun, particularly in police circles, is changing. As more and more agencies buy into the concept of patrol rifles, use of shotguns is being widely reconsidered. A few outfits that I’m familiar with now limit the shotgun to the tactical teams or for use as a less-lethal delivery system. That’s probably too bad. Personally, I’m pretty fond of the concept of having a shotgun and a rifle in the patrol vehicle. You wouldn’t play a round of golf with a single club, would you?

The list of grievances against the shotgun is indeed long. Some of these complaints are in fact legitimate; however, many can be overcome with training and the right equipment. I often chuckle at departments that dump the shotgun for being too difficult to train with, only to buy rifles and ignore the software side of the equation once again. I doubt if they are any better off.