Editing Shotgun (section)

===Late 20th century to present===
Since the end of World War II, the shotgun has remained a specialty weapon for modern armies. It has been deployed for specialized tasks where its strengths were put to particularly good use. It was used to defend machine gun emplacements during the [[Korean War]], American and French jungle patrols used shotguns during the [[Vietnam War]], and shotguns saw extensive use as door breaching and close quarter weapons in the early stages of the [[Iraq War]], and saw limited use in tank crews.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001951.html |title=SMALL ARMS IN IRAQ: WHAT WORKED, WHAT SUCKED WHAT A HOAX |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410014702/http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001951.html |archive-date=10 April 2009}}</ref> Many modern [[Navy|navies]] make extensive use of shotguns by personnel engaged in boarding hostile ships, as any shots fired will almost certainly be over a short range. Nonetheless, shotguns are far less common in military use than rifles, carbines, submachine guns, or pistols.

On the other hand, the shotgun has become a standard in law enforcement use. A variety of specialty less-lethal or non-lethal ammunitions, such as tear gas shells, bean bags, flares, explosive sonic stun rounds, and rubber projectiles, all packaged into 12-gauge shotgun shells, are produced specifically for the law enforcement market. Recently, [[Taser International]] introduced a self-contained electronic weapon which is fired from a standard 12-gauge shotgun.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taser.com/products/law/Pages/XREP.aspx |title=Taser Xrep |publisher=Taser.com |access-date=5 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903132852/http://www.taser.com/PRODUCTS/LAW/Pages/XREP.aspx |archive-date=3 September 2008}}</ref>

The shotgun remains a standard firearm for hunting throughout the world for all sorts of game from birds and small game to large game such as deer. The versatility of the shotgun as a hunting weapon has steadily increased as slug rounds and more advanced rifled barrels have given shotguns longer range and higher killing power. The shotgun has become a ubiquitous firearm in the hunting community.