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Figure 12: Various types of rifles.

• Shotgun – A shotgun is also a type of The ATF also regulates the barrel length
firearm that is designed to be fired with of shotguns. All shotguns must use at
support from both the hands and shoul- least an 18” smooth bore barrel or face
der. Shotguns are defined by the ATF in further regulation under the NFA. Rifles
the following: also must meet a 26” overall length
(OAL) (this includes 18” of barrel) or
4
The term “Shotgun ” means a weapon de-
face the same NFA regulations. Shotguns
signed or redesigned, made or remade, and
are only designed to fire shotgun car-
intended to be fired from the shoulder, and
tridges. The minimum age to purchase
designed or redesigned and made or remade to
and possess a shotgun is 18.
use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shot-
gun shell to fire through a smooth bore either
a number of ball shot or a single projectile for
each single pull of the trigger.
4 18 U.S.C., § 921(A)(5) and 27 CFR § 478.11
The two features that differentiate rifles
and shotguns are the barrels and am-
munition. While rifle barrels feature
rifling, shotgun barrels feature a smooth
bore. Shotguns also fire ammunition that
utilizes multiple projectiles that do not
require the spin imparted by the rifling.
Shotguns are capable of firing from one
to several hundred tiny projectiles with a
Figure 13: Various types of shotguns.
single cartridge.

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