As some of you know, I really like shotguns. I defer to them near completely for home defense. I have many and all different actions, lengths and purposes. I train hard with them and have for a couple decades now.
That said, and I must preface this by revealing that I almost always agree with the sheriff's POV, the sheriff is propagating a myth in this article. Kind of. It is true that sometimes a guy holding a shotgun can calm everything down in a hurry, but the same can be said for the appearance of ANY gun. The idea that brandishing a weapon as a means to scare someone is normal or something to be practiced is a slippery slope at best and a violation of at least 2 of my personal rules for gun safety. That doesn't mean that you should go ahead and shoot even if the situation is relaxed immediately after you draw, but you need to be absolutely sure there is an actual threat of death or bodily injury before you ever draw in the first place. And hesitation just gets you dead so you're basically dancing on the head of a pin if you go into the situation thinking about introducing a weapon into a situation and simultaneously thinking or hoping you don't have to use it. Obviously this is a lot different for LEO, who are tasked with drawing a weapon without immediately firing it on a daily basis. I absolutely do see both sides of this issue and I won't pretend I can proselytize the one true answer or anything. I just believe completely that you should never draw your weapon unless you are ready to use it and you should never use it unless your are prepared to kill something.
Also, the idea that racking a shotgun will scare someone into submission is very dangerous. It very often won't. And presenting an unloaded weapon in a split second, life or death situation is the same thing as holding a brick.
