Joe “Double Barrel” Biden has been shooting his mouth off again. After advising home owners to fire warning shots from a double barrel shotgun to ward off home invaders, the President’s point man on civilian disarmament told Field & Stream readers to unleash a scattergun blast through a door in an emergency.
The Veep also defended his opinion that double-barreled shotguns are better than “assault rifles” for the fairer sex. “Most people can handle a shotgun a hell of a lot better than they can a semi-automatic weapon in terms of both their aim and in terms of their ability to deter people coming.”
I guess Joe hasn’t seen the viral video of female shotgun fails racking-up the views on YouTube. Or asked anyone who actually owns an AR-style rifle why they don’t have a shotgun instead. Or, I dunno, compared firearm genres at a range.
But let’s think about this a bit more . . .
Joe is asking Americans to forgo modern sporting rifles for double barreled shotguns because shotguns are better in terms of their “aim” and their “ability to deter people coming.”
So, what does Double Barreled Biden mean by “aim”? Is he saying that a shotgun is easier to get on target than a modern sporting rifle? Then he’s wrong for [at least] three reasons.
1. Recoil
The video mentioned above is no laughing matter. OK, it is (especially if you’re German). But recoil is a big issue when it comes to accurately acquiring a target.
If a shooter is “afraid” of the gun’s recoil, if prior experience has conditioned them to flinch (in anticipation of said recoil), their aim is going to suck. Even if it doesn’t initially, it may well do for follow-up shots. Shots that could be the difference between life and death.
Generally speaking (as we will in this post), a shotgun has more recoil than an AR-style rifle. Yes, there are smaller gauge shotguns with relatively less recoil than their big-bore cousins. And ammo makers sell reduced recoil loads. And it’s also true that plenty of scattergun owners train themselves to handle their shotgun’s recoil. But plenty more don’t.
That list of shooters who don’t cope well (i.e. aim) with shotguns is not limited to women, younger shooters, older shooters, smaller shooters and handicapped shooters. But they account for a large percentage of the recoil averse. Just sayin’ . . .
In contrast, an AR-15 is a pussycat. D’uh! In most cases, the rifle fires a slightly-larger than .22 caliber round—as compared to a fusillade of lead. Modern sporting rifles make a lot of noise, but they don’t have half the kick of a double-barreled 12-guage shotgun. Ultimately, that makes them easier to aim.
2. Fit
AR-style rifles have adjustable stocks (void where prohibited by law). They can be manipulated to fit a wide variety of shooters’ sizes and body types. This adjustability makes the AR-style rifle easier to hold, manipulate and aim. As do the modern sporting rifle’s dreaded [/sarcasm] pistol grip and fore grip (void where prohibited by law).
Shotguns, by and large, do not have adjustable stocks, pistol grips or fore grips (you guessed it: void where prohibited by law). If you’re lucky/rich enough to have a custom-made double-barreled shotgun, or can afford to modify a Benelli M4 with an adjustable stock ($600) and don’t live in California, good for you!
A good, experienced, able-bodied shooter can aim any firearm quickly and efficiently. Most Americans find the AR-15 style rifle the easiest to modify and, thus, bring to bear on a target.
3. Optics
Optics or sighting systems—from scopes to red dots—make a HUGE difference in a shooter’s ability to accurately aim a long gun. Which is why the vast majority of rifle owners, millions of them, mount optics on their modern sporting rifles. It’s a relatively simple process with enormous ergonomic benefits for aimed or directed fire.
Some shotguns accept optics. Most don’t. Their recoil makes optics generally unreliable and, if not, expensive. Besides, a shotgun is (again generally) a short-range weapon. At “combat distance” it puts out a spread of lead roughly the size of a softball. While you MUST aim a shotgun, it’s not as much of an aimed weapon as a rifle.
Does that make a shotgun “easier” to aim than a rifle? Nope. But it does makes a shotgun less accurate in terms of hitting exactly what you’re aiming at—and nothing else. In other words, setting aside “over-penetration” issues, a shotgun has more potential for creating collateral damage than a rifle.
I wonder if Double Barrel Biden thought about that. At all. Ever. ‘Cause Joe also said this . . .
We can argue whether that’s true or not [that a shotgun is easier to aim and more of a deterrent], but it is no argument that, for example, a shotgun could do the same job of protecting you. Now, granted, you can come back and say, ‘Well, a machine gun could do a better job of protecting me.’ No one’s arguing we should make machine guns legal.”
Joe should know. Anyone with any experience of firearms (as Joe claims) would know that a shotgun does not do the same job as a modern sporting rifle.
A shotgun unleashes a number of projectiles at once, making it a superb not-to-say devastating short-range weapon. It’s not bad at longer ranges, but nowhere near as effective as a modern sporting rifle, which fires a single projectile with terrific accuracy.
Don’t get me wrong: either gun can be used for short or long range distances. But both have their strengths and weaknesses. Sensibly enough, many gun owners have both platforms. Denying Americans modern sporting rifles because shotguns exist is like denying ice cream lovers chocolate because vanilla exists. Or vice versa.
As for making machine guns legal, yes please. Not because machine guns are more effective for self-defense than a semi-automatic rifle or a shotgun, but because We the People have a Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear [any] arms. Just sayin’ . . .
Finally, the idea that a shotgun is a better deterrent than a modern sporting rifle is just silly. Like 90 percent of what comes out of Double Barrel Biden’s mouth on the subject of guns. If you’d like to me to ID the 10 percent that does make sense, do me a favor. Give me a minute . . .
I am conflicted on this. In CA, if you have a license to carry, there are almost no restrictions. You can conceal carry in a bar, you can conceal carry in a school (as far as CA law goes you can carry with permission of the superindentant even without a license to carry). There are no 30-06 signs like Texas. I mean, a store can put up a sign, but no law forces you to care.
However, while there is no crime, employers can still fire you for carrying, or leaving it in your car. On one hand that strikes me as undermining my ability to defend myself…on the other hand, what about property rights? What standard do we want to apply to the limitations of property rights? Some limitation must exist, as with every right, but what is the standard…if they cannot say I cannot have a gun, what can they say?
Perhaps there is a legal distinction that should be invoked here. I know in CA you can conceal carry without a license in your home, or in your business (defined as any place you have proprietary interest in) or with permission of the owner, provided it is not a public or semi-public area. By that is meant an area where the general public can freely enter without molestation, like the shopping area of a grocery store, but not the offices in the back. Or the sidewalk in front of your house, or your (unenclosed) front yard, but not your back yard. Perhaps we should say if they can only allow it in truly private areas, they can only forbid it there too. And hence is the parking lot is not fenced off with restricted access, it is semi-public and if you can legally carry or store a gun, then they cannot restrict you…by opening it to the public, they limit their claims. I think that would be a reasonable standard
I have knives around, and the likelihood of home invasion isn’t all that high where I live.
Vice Presidents: Easier to replace, more of an idiot than the actual President.
You know this video while funny does help prove there point that gun owners are idiots… you know “just look what those idiots let their girlfriends do”…. Talk about playing right into their game plan.
I guess all that boot-licking from the media comes with rewards, eh?
I am fighting this issue at work. They agree that a policy will not stop a disgruntled employee and haven’t fought state statutes in other company locations where the law allows it, but of course, the main thing they are worried about is being LIABLE when said employee goes postal. As long as they have an employer exemption, they are cool. think about that next time your boss tells you that people are our most valuable resource . . . .
” next time your boss tells you that people are our most valuable resource . . . .”
Until the moment they cease to so consider you. Everyone knows how that goes.
Slow Joe needs to go hunting with Dick Cheney. I’ll bet the Secret Service has a special team that sweeps ahead of Biden for any sharp objects or any way to start fires. They put safety caps in electrical outlets and only let him eat with a spork. Wonder how many times a day they have to remind him to breath?
I hate Barry, make no mistake about it. But I sure hope he survives to compleat his term. Slow Joe as the prez is scary.
While laughing at Biden may make us feel smug and superior, the more time we devote attention and resources to Biden’s stupid comment, the less time and attention is being devoted to more important issues affecting our gun rights.
Here in Colorado, the state senate is going to have hearings about
* universal background checks
* fees for those background checks
* banning licensed CCW on college campuses
* restricting magazine capacity to 15 rounds
and I have yet to see any type of advertisement or public relations campaign from the major gun rights groups about these issues aimed at the general public.
Biden isn’t the idiot, we are. And the anti-gunners must be laughing at us every day.
In Texas, employee parking provided by a business must allow the employee to keep their firearm locked in their vehicle with a very few limited exceptions. The vehicle is regarded as private property of the employee as well as its contents. The employer is not liable for the employees property.
That said, I carry at work. Openly at that with the business owners blessing. I also interact with customers all day long and have yet to have a single negative reaction from anyone at all. Everyone sees it, yet its treated with about as much attention as a BIC pen in my shirt pocket. It is a IWB holster with a full size Kimber .45 with my shirt tucked in. I work in auto repair, not a bank.
Actually way more common than admitted, guns in cars , employers and employees as well as customers carrying.
Your experience SHOULD be everyone’s.
magpul released a statement which makes it clear they **WILL NOT** join the other manufacturers boycotting state government agencies from sales where civilians arent allowed to buy. (Law Enforcement loophole). Over one hundred companies have already pledged to support law abiding gun owners in states with restrictive laws, by not selling any product to law enforcement or state agents that civilians of that state cannot buy.
Shame on magpul. I will never buy any of your products again.
Tell your friends they do NOT support law abiding citizens in restrictive states.
I wonder how much budget shortfall could be made up for by the Federal Government selling off some of its billions of rounds?
Winchester is not standing behind the product. You are. Which is the most dangerous place to be if your gun is going to go kablooey.
It would have been nice for them to publicly acknowledged their bad run of 9mm ammo in which occasional rounds were missing a flash hole. I discovered this problem the hard way, trying to use Winchester cheap target ammo from Walmart for a competition.
I posted about my experience in a Pennsylvania-specific forum, got several responses from others who experienced the same thing, and google later turned up several other similar reports. Winchester gave me credit for the ammo but as far as I know never issued any public statement about what appears to have been a run with poor QC on the cases.
There is also a purported internal FBI memo from the same time frame (spring/summer 2012) indicating a flawed run of .40S&W duty ammo which was recalled and replaced.
This is my first line of defense:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxNwv5h496Y
Pocket carry (with holster) for revolver. Fixed blade stainless knife in nylon sheath in shower/tub/jacuzzi. it fits nicely in the shower caddy and is always in reach.
TN House voted for bill sent from Senate that would allow people to leave their guns in the car when employer/property owner has no guns posted. Can’t bring your gun into office building, but is allowed to stay within the confines of your property to which you have privacy (your car). Before if your employer posted no guns you couldn’t leave them in car if parking lot was on that private property.
I hope the entire State of Colorado is overrun with PMags everywhere. So many that they can’t possibly be enforced. They need to be into the hands of as many law-abiding citizens of the state as humanly possible. It’s hard to control something that can be pulled from the shelf as common as a can of beanie weenies. There’s also those guys who created the 3-D printer magazines that work flawlessly. The computer program for it has gone viral around the globe….hundreds of millions of downloads. But LOOK OUT!! There will be bans on all assault printers.
Anti-discrimination laws and “guns in cars” laws are unconstitutional.
Why do people keep claiming that machine guns are illegal?
Nick, media left between really the rally got.going. NYSP and attendees report 12000.
off topic: on the gun facts page. is there an item on UK crime after dunblane, if so it would be good to have it up (if not: after dunblane, crimes involving firearms rose 112% to 11,088 in 2005/06 from 5209 in 1998/99 – homicides and attempted murders all went up along with robberies commited with a firearm)
it’s not just guns. a company that sold motorcycles on a similar system short changed folks for years before disappearing with a small warehouse full of motorcycles and a lot of customers’ money.
Pawn shops and the like have a reputation for sleaziness for a reason. Not everything negative is an “unfair” depiction or prejudice. Often, it is deserved…”where there’s smoke, there’s fire”, etc.
Maybe it’s me. I travel to NYC a lot. I’m there right now. I never bring my gun there, nor would I bring an airsoft gun to that draconian city, because of just this kind of situation. And then for the kid to take a photo of himself outside? In NYC???
Dumb. Simply dumb.