The riots have changed nothing for me. Pandemic plus crime wave and ammo shortage have. I can get what ammo I can get when I can get it.
I need to re-zero my AR at 50 yards assuming the load reliably runs the gun if I can't find a pre-vetted load. Versus my 590 where I need less ammo to check reliability (ignition, smooth movement in mag. tube, and feedway) and zero at the much more convenient 25 yards. Patterning can be integral to the few tubes of shells run through to check reliability. A spare 590 magazine spring is much easier to come by in a panic than STANAGs. Most shotgun work is manual and can be drilled dry with dummy shells (various reloads, positively and reliably running the slide, etc.) as a further convenience. The sight offset on my AR needs regular periodic livefire drilling to stay automated versus the scattergun's much lower sights. And I expect serviceable shotgun loads to come back into reliable stock at reasonable prices before .223/5.56mm supply stabilizes.
I'm prioritizing shotgun for those reasons but am admittedly more likely to have a bear try tearing part of my home down than a red horde.
Muzzle blast is responsible for quite a lot of it. The shot makes a point of entry into the closed system and compromises the container. Gasses exiting the muzzle have nowhere to go but to pressurize and subsequently burst the vessel. Outside of firm or loose contact shots, wounds are still plenty sporty but that particular popped balloon is a hallmark of contact shots to the head, most commonly from below. Even "misses" that shear the frontal lobes are horriffic and "survivors" tend to be life support vegetables ultimately succumbing shortly to secondary infection and/or system failure in hospital. One case used in a class which particularly stuck with me was ultimately deceased of meningitis started around a tooth embedded in the brain.
The shotgun is a close-range beast but expecting such a Tarantino-esque scene at longer range is a bit of a stretch. Which may be preaching to the choir on this forum but may clarify things for lurkers to be worth the pedantry.