PROTECTIVE OPERATIONS
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Given the spread of shot shells, it is perhaps best employed on static security
posts where crowds of people are very limited. Issues with these weapon
systems are size and ammunition characteristics. In the 1970s and 1980s,
the Secret Service and State Department used shotguns with a shortened 14
in. long barrel and tted with a pistol grip stock, resulting in a more man-
ageable weapon. However, with the reduced barrel length, the shot pattern
expands rapidly upon exiting, thus reducing the effective range.
While some departments may have access to cut-down shotguns,
most still issue a full-size Remington 870 or perhaps a Benelli auto-
loader. The great length of some of these, coupled with their i