Every few years on various forums there's a 100+ page thread on whether or not the shotgun still has a role to play in the land of carbines. And half the people say yes, and half the people say no.
Well, I hate to be "that guy" starting up the most recent iteration but the rioting of 2020 has changed my opinion on shotguns. If Kyle Rittenhouse had a 12 gauge pump, he'd likely be dead.
6 months ago I was in the camp of "shotguns still have a role" and even "shotguns are my primary form of home defense" But now after seeing what I've seen, I am changing my mind.
If I were standing in front of my home or business protecting it from this mob I would not want to have a 12 gauge shotgun. Videos circulating show they aren't afraid of guns and even taunt the protectors into shooting them. As we saw the munchkin sex offender request to be shot multiple times. And once you shoot one of them, the rest keep chasing you.
I mean, I wouldn't want to be there at all, but if I had to be because my family was in the structure behind me, then I think I'd want to have a carbine.
Then again maybe nothing has changed in 2020 and the answer is still the same. Shotgun for routine defense and carbine on standby for special bad scenarios. Generally we seem to have advance notice of a riot with time to get get the carbine ready. Like having a sedan for daily commuting and a 4WD truck for emergency backcountry use.
I guess what has changed is if you thought the shotgun was a sufficient primary defense weapon then you should change your tune and also supplement with a carbine. But all of us here probably have both. Maybe I'm just rambling.
But, what I think we're seeing in 2020 is a paradigm shift where the bad guys come in swarms, chase you even if you have a gun, and their friends chase you even after you've shot multiple of them. 6 months ago I wouldn't have thought those last two to be realistic. I would have always assumed if you shot one the rest would scatter. So it's reframing how I consider differnet tools in the box, including the shotgun.