Law enforcement firearms training focuses heavily on pistol skills. That makes sense as pistols are difficult to shoot well, and much more skill-building is required to attain competence compared to the shotgun. Unfortunately, pistols are not as effective at stopping active threats as shotguns. It’s not even close. It might take 5–15 pistol rounds to end a fight versus only one or two rounds of buckshot.
Here, we train our new cops for several days with the pistol, one day with the shotgun and three days with the patrol rifle. I suspect our program is similar to most others. That curriculum made perfect sense to me until I started teaching all three platforms to new recruits. I realized something. Over the past few decades, I’ve observed a decline in cadets’ ability to learn shotgun skills. I have a theory as to the reasons behind this trend, and I brought in a ringer to help explain what is happening with the shotgun in American law enforcement.
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Erick Gelhaus weighs in
I’ve known Erick Gelhaus for several years, and when the idea for this article came up, I knew he was the guy who could help me get the message across. He and I were both invited to a Mossberg event in October 2024. That was the first time I learned he had been teaching shotgun at the legendary Gunsite training facility since the turn of the century. He added substantial value to the article and conversation.
“We don’t have folks who grew up with manually-operated firearms like it was when I came in.” — Erick Gelhaus of Cougar Mountain Solutions and American Cop magazine.
That’s a solid explanation as to why we find ourselves struggling to keep shotguns in law enforcement. We’re seeing recruits suffer through the bare minimum shotgun training to check the box so they can move on to the rifle. We are not effectively teaching them the remarkable, life-saving capabilities of the multi-projectile “boom gun.”
“We need to treat the shotgun the way we first treated patrol rifles when we got them.” — Erick Gelhaus
In my opinion, this disconnect is mostly a matter of familiarity and training. Even when I entered law enforcement in the mid-’90s, many people I knew who were in or interested in law enforcement were hunters who used a pump shotgun regularly. In fact, nearly everyone I knew was familiar with the pump gun’s operation.
That’s not the case today. The increasing unease recruits feel toward the shotgun is palpable. That lack of comfort and familiarity can be countered with more training, like we did with patrol rifles when they were first introduced to civilian law enforcement.
I’d like to see us add a second day of shotgun. The first would be almost entirely dry fire and manipulation, building familiarity and comfort. The second day would mirror the single day of training we provide now.
Who cares about the shotgun?
There is no tool in civilian law enforcement with the same capabilities as the 12-gauge shotgun. Without being overly graphic, “the gauge” is the most effective firearm at the distances most common in LEO gunfights. Eight or nine .32 or .33 caliber projectiles hitting a human torso simultaneously at the speed of sound is more than devastating, and all with one sight picture and one trigger press.
That said, in our current environment, the shotgun is no longer the default weapon with which everyone is familiar. It is now the expert gun that requires extra training and dedication, just like the AR-style carbine was to most departments in the ’80s and ’90s.
Versatility of the shotgun
When some folks talk about the versatility of the shotgun, they mean its ability to deploy less-lethal rounds as well as buckshot and slugs. Less-lethal shotgun rounds are less than reliably effective, to say the least. Those people might also be referring to the ability of the shotgun to use birdshot, which is great for training or if you want to use your duty gun to harvest quail on your days off.
Let’s be clear: Shotguns are for lethal force in the form of buckshot and slugs, and maybe some limited breaching duties with substantial training and in the right hands.
If I knew I was going to an encounter where a vehicle might be used as cover by a suspect, I’d pick the shotgun almost every time. Shotgun cartridges, especially slugs, are far superior at penetrating vehicles than commonly used patrol rifle rounds.
The recoil reality
The shotgun’s biggest detraction is recoil. That devastating effectiveness is not free — the cost is a substantial push to the shoulder. However, with proper technique and dedication, 12-gauge buckshot or slug recoil can be effectively mitigated by nearly anyone. If a recruit ends up with a severely bruised shoulder, that’s on us, the trainers.
Competently presented training
In our interview, Gelhaus speaks of competently presented training. He’s talking about manipulations and technique, of course. But he’s also talking about instilling confidence in the platform and teaching our officers and deputies to know when to choose the shotgun and when to choose the patrol rifle.
Don’t lose this amazing tool
I think we’ve established that the shotgun isn’t seen the same way it was just a short while ago. It isn’t the go-to gun for bird hunters who were comfortable with it and didn’t hesitate to grab it when a pistol or even a carbine just wouldn’t do the job.
The law enforcement shotgun is, though, a specialty tool that has its place in your patrol car, patiently waiting its turn to save your life.
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