… In the United States, it is illegal to posses a sawed off shotgun that has a barrel length of less than eighteen inches, unless the individual has obtained a taxed permit from the ATF. Sawed-off does a wider indiscriminate range of damage, and ain't good for nothing but trouble. I don't understand the difference between a citizen legally owning a normal shotgun and one with a shortened/sawed-off barrel and/or a pistol grip. I think that switchblades and sawed off shotguns were made illegal for the same reason "military style" rifles will be made illegal; they scare stupid, overly emotional people. Sawed Off Shotgun Practical Applications Photo by Will Dabbs “Question my manhood if you must, but sewing really is fun. Since they didn't think of shotguns made with just a hand grip back then, the Serbu isn't legally a shotgun. It is a "pistol grip weapon" and an AOW due to the fact that it is smoothbore and is less than 26" in length. The BATFE cannot legally call it a shotgun if you speak to them even though it fires 12ga rounds same as any other shotgun. So what you make up for in concealability you lose in range and number of rounds, vs. something like a Glock 9mm which can hold 17 rounds. why are sawed off shotguns illegal Discussion in 'Legal and Activism' started by clip11, Jun 1, 2010. I just need an answer to the above question clip11, Jun 1, 2010. clip11, Jun 1, 2010. In short, I want to know what the minimum length is, how to measure it, common mistakes to avoid when measuring etc. I bought a big spool of nylon webbing off of Amazon and sew the stuff using a standard needle and thread. This is why many of the restrictions are able to easily skirted: short barreled rifles and shotguns may be classified as pistols to avoid the restrictions on concealability. The principal reason criminals cut off some of the barrel from a shotgun is to make it easier to conceal under a coat or in a bag. That's why they are sawed off… Sawed-off shotguns – shotguns with barrels cut off to less than 18 inches – are illegal in Canada. I ask because I know someone who had a sawed-off shotgun that I would like to acquire but we aren't sure it's legal. Sawed off shotguns can be especially deadly because the ammunition is propelled faster than it would be if the barrel was complete. Jun 1, 2010 #2 . I can see back in the day when law enforcement was carrying .38 Special revolvers, a sawed-off shotgun was an unfair advantage. 178 0 0. Keith. My state legalized them several years ago. For this reason, the ATF definitions of different types of firearm appear arbitrary to many observers. But these days when both police and civilians … A shotgun is defined as follows: Seems to me a sawed-off shotgun will have a limited magazine capacity. We don't know who modified it and I surely don't want to bring an illegal firearm into the house. A sawed-off shotgun is a banging find in a FPS shooter, but not so much in the real world. Sawed off shotguns can be especially deadly because the ammunition is propelled faster than it would be if the barrel was complete. So if your shotgun has a 22-inch barrel and you use a saw to lop three inches off it, the weapon you now own isn’t per se illegal in length and so, I suppose, wouldn’t be what’s generally thought of as a "sawed-off shotgun," though obviously that’s literally what it is. I think there is no federal law about switchblades, or automatic knives, as they're more accurately called. Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next > Jun 1, 2010 #1 . In addition, sawed off shotguns are easy to conceal, which makes them extremely dangerous for law enforcement in certain situations, such pulling over a vehicle that may contain a sawed off shotgun. clip11 New Member.