Editing Shotgun (section)

==Legal issues==
[[File:Lupara.jpg|right|thumb|A homemade [[lupara]]]]
Globally, shotguns are generally not as heavily regulated as rifles or handguns, likely because they lack the range of rifles and are not easily concealable as handguns are; thus, they are perceived as a lesser threat by legislative authorities. The one exception is a [[sawed-off shotgun]], especially a [[lupara]], as it is more easily concealed than a normal shotgun.

===Australia===
Within Australia, all shotguns manufactured after 1 January 1901 are considered firearms and are subject to registration and licensing. Most shotguns (including [[break-action]], [[bolt-action]] and [[lever-action]] shotguns) are classed as "Category A" weapons and, as such, are comparatively easy to obtain a licence for, given a legally recognised "legitimate reason" (compare to the British requirement for "good reason" for a [[Gun politics in the United Kingdom#Firearm licensing|FAC]]), such as [[sport shooting]] or [[hunting]]. However, [[pump-action]] and [[semi-automatic shotgun]]s are classed as "Category C" (magazine capacity no more than 5 rounds) or "Category D" (magazine capacity more than 5 rounds) weapons; a licence for this type of firearm is, practically speaking, unavailable to the average citizen due to the difficulty and [[red tape]] of acquiring one. For more information, see [[Gun politics in Australia]].

===Canada===
[[File:Beanbag shotgun.jpg|thumb|upright|An RCMP officer in 2010 armed with a shotgun outfitted to fire beanbag rounds]]
Canada has three classifications of firearms: non-restricted, restricted, and prohibited. Shotguns are found in all three classes.

All non-restricted shotguns must have an overall length of at least {{convert|660|mm|in|abbr=on}}. Semi-automatic shotguns must also have a barrel length of no less than {{convert|469.9|mm|in|abbr=on}} and with a capacity of 5 shells or less in the magazine to remain non-restricted. All other shotgun action types (pump/slide, break open, lever, bolt) do not have a magazine limit restriction or a minimum barrel length provided the overall length of the firearm remains more than {{convert|660|mm|in|abbr=on}} and the barrel was produced by an approved manufacturer. Shotgun barrels may only be reduced in length to a minimum of {{convert|457|mm|in|abbr=on}}. Non-restricted shotguns may be possessed with any [[Possession and Acquisition Licence]] (PAL) or [[Possession-Only License]] (POL) and may be transported throughout the country without special authorization and may be used for hunting certain species at certain times of the year.

Semi-automatic shotguns with a barrel length of less than {{convert|469.9|mm|in|abbr=on}} are considered restricted and any shotgun that has been altered so its barrel length is less than {{convert|457|mm|in|abbr=on}} or if its overall length is less than {{convert|660|mm|in|abbr=on}} is considered prohibited.<ref>{{cite web| title=Prohibited Firearms| publisher=Cfc-cafc.gc.ca| url=http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/factsheets/prohibited_e.asp| access-date=19 February 2015| date=31 December 2008| archive-date=20 August 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820143113/http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/factsheets/prohibited_e.asp| url-status=dead}}</ref> Restricted and prohibited shotguns may be possessed with a PAL or POL that has been endorsed for restricted or prohibited [[grandfathered]] firearms. These shotguns require special [[Authorization to Transport]] (ATT).<ref name="canUS95trans">{{cite web | url=http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/faq/transport_e.asp | title=Transporting Firearms | publisher=Canada Firearms Centre | access-date=21 June 2008 | archive-date=15 November 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115005214/http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/faq/transport_e.asp | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Canadian Firearms Registry]] was a government-run registry of all legally owned firearms in Canada. The government provided amnesty from prosecution to shotgun and rifle owners if they fail to register non-restricted shotguns and rifles.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=80f74558-04f9-469f-8dd1-5a7cf4b8ce7e|publisher=Canada.com |title=Government extends gun-registration amnesty |access-date=26 May 2008 | date=14 May 2008 |author=Tim Naumetz}}</ref> The long gun portion of the registry was scrapped in 2011.

See online<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/factsheets/r&p_e.asp |title=Royal Canadian Mounted Police – Canadian Firearms Program &#124; Gendarmerie royale du Canada – Programme canadien des armes à feu |publisher=Cfc-cafc.gc.ca |date=31 December 2008 |access-date=19 February 2015 |archive-date=30 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070730233033/http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/factsheets/r%26p_e.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> for an official Canadian list of non-restricted and restricted and prohibited firearms.

===United Kingdom===
In the United Kingdom, a [[Gun politics in the United Kingdom#Shotguns|Shotgun Certificate]] (SGC) is required to possess a "Section 2" shotgun. These cost £50 and can only be denied if the chief of police in the area believes and can prove that the applicant poses a real danger to the public, or if the applicant has been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term of three years or more or if the applicant cannot securely store a shotgun (gun clamps, wire locks and locking gun cabinets are considered secure). The round number restrictions apply only to the magazine, not the chamber, so it is legal to have a single-barreled semi-auto or pump-action shotgun that holds more than 3 rounds in total, or a shotgun with separate chambers (which would need to also be multi-barrelled). For a shotgun to qualify as a section 2 shotgun, it must meet the following criteria:

{{ordered list|type=lower-alpha
| has a barrel not less than {{convert|24|in|mm}} in length and does not have any barrel with a bore more than {{convert|2|in|mm}} in diameter;
| either has no magazine or has a non-detachable magazine not capable of holding more than 2 cartridges;
| is not a revolver gun.}}

Prior to an SGC being issued, an interview is conducted with the local Firearms Officer. In the past this was a duty undertaken by the local police, but more recently{{quantify|date=November 2023}} this function has been contracted out to civilian staff. The officer will check the location and suitability of the gun safe that is to be used for storage and conduct a general interview to establish the reasons behind the applicant requiring an SGC.

An SGC holder can own any number of shotguns meeting these requirements so long as he/she can store them securely. No certificate is required to own shotgun ammunition, but one is required to buy it. There is no restriction on the amount of shotgun ammunition that can be bought or owned. There are also no rules regarding the storage of ammunition.

However, shotgun ammunition which contains fewer than 6 projectiles requires a section 1 Firearms Certificate (FAC). Shotguns with a magazine capacity greater than 2 rounds are also considered to be section 1 firearms and, as such, require an FAC to own. An FAC costs £50 but is much more restrictive than an SGC. The applicant must nominate two referees who are known to the applicant to vouch for his or her character; a new 'variation' is required for each new caliber of gun to be owned; limits are set on how much ammunition a person can own at any one time; and an FAC can be denied if the applicant does not have sufficient 'good reason'. 'Good reason' generally means hunting, collecting, or target shooting – though other reasons may be acceptable. Personal defense is not an acceptable reason.

Any pump-action or semi-automatic smoothbore gun (such as a shotgun) with a barrel length of less than 24 inches or total length of less than 40 inches is considered to be a section 5 firearm, that is, one that is subject to general prohibition, unless it is chambered for [[.22 caliber]] [[Rimfire ammunition|rimfire]] ammunition.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|year=1968|chapter=27|act=Firearms Act 1968|mode=cs1}}</ref>

===United States===
[[File:United States President Barack Obama shoots clay targets on the range at Camp David, Maryland.jpg|thumb|[[Barack Obama]] skeet shooting with a [[Browning Citori]] 525 on the range at [[Camp David]]]]
In the US, federal law prohibits shotguns from being capable of holding more than three shells including the round in the chamber when used for hunting migratory gamebirds such as doves, ducks, and geese. For other uses, a capacity of any number of shells is generally permitted. Most magazine-fed shotguns come with a removable magazine plug to limit the capacity to 2, plus 1 in the chamber, for a total of 3 rounds, while hunting migratory gamebirds. Certain states have restrictions on magazine capacity or design features under hunting or [[assault weapon]] laws.

Shotguns intended for defensive use have barrels as short as {{convert|18|in|cm}} for private use (the minimum shotgun barrel length allowed by law in the United States without federal registration). Barrel lengths of less than {{convert|18|in|cm}} as measured from the breechface to the muzzle when the weapon is in battery, or have an overall length of less than {{convert|26|in|cm}} are classified as short barreled shotguns (SBS) under the 1934 [[National Firearms Act]] and are regulated. A similar short barreled weapon having a pistol grip may be classified as an [[Any Other Weapon#Any other weapon|AOW]] or "Any Other Weapon" or "Firearm", depending on barrel length. A shotgun is defined as a weapon (with a [[stock (firearm)|buttstock]]) designed to be fired from the shoulder. The classification varies depending on how the weapon was originally manufactured.

Shotguns used by military, police, and other government agencies are regulated under the [[National Firearms Act]] of 1934; however, they are exempt from transfer taxes. These weapons commonly have barrels as short as {{convert|12|to|14|in|cm|abbr=off}} so that they are easier to handle in confined spaces. Non-prohibited private citizens may own short-barreled shotguns by passing extensive background checks (state and local laws may be more restrictive) as well as paying a $200 federal tax and being issued a stamp. Defensive shotguns sometimes have no [[stock (firearm)|buttstock]] or will have a folding [[stock (firearm)|stock]] to reduce overall length even more when required. [[Any Other Weapon#Any other weapon|AOWs]] transfer with a $5 tax stamp from the [[BATFE]].