Sawn-off shotgun
A sawn-off shotgun (also sawed-off shotgun) is a type of shotgun with a shorter barrel, compared to regular shotguns. Also sometimes just called a 'sawn-off' ('sawed-off'), the weapon has larger spread and limited range. The shorter barrel would also make it easier to conceal — which combined with the aformentioned tactical characteristics have led to use for nefarious purposes. As a result of this, many jurisdictions have a minimum legal length for shotgun barrels. Some guns are made with a shorter barrel to achieve the same effect, especially when slugs are used, such as with some elephant guns.The term most genuinely applies to weapons that result from literally sawing off a regular shotgun's barrel. The spread of pellets will depend on the type of cartridge fired, the gauge of the shotgun, aside from the barrel length. Another related term "scatter-shot", as in a "scatter-shot" type weapon, is also used to describe such these type of devices.
In the United States, it is illegal to possess a sawed-off shotgun (a barrel length less than 18 in. or 46 cm) without a tax-stamped permit from the United States Treasury. Since the Treasury does not issue permits, there is a de facto ban on sawed-off shotguns in the United States.