defensive firearms training must stress the technical skills which can defend against this threat. train at courses, which teach shooting for survival. ♪ >> each week, american history tv's reel america brings you archival films that provides contest. up next from 1976, " shotgun or sidearm?" to show the dangerous nature of firing shotguns that suspects in public. using a firing range and

reenactments, the film demonstrates how shotgun pellets can strike innocent bystanders. >> come on, make it fast. >> i am. dispatcher: silent alarm. 630 east colorado. >> los lobos, possibly a gun involved.

>> any description on possible suspect? dispatcher: suspect described as a male negro, 6'2". gold jewelry store. robbery alarm. >> copy. cover the rear. >> freeze. [gunshot] >> look out. >> is he the only one? >> yes. >> look, that guy has been shot.

what do you think? [crying] >> stephen, 42, truck driver, shot in the left shoulder. rosemary, 37, secretary, shot in the left knee. catherine, 29, part-time teacher, forehead grazed. three innocent civilians wounded by a good, conscientious police officer. the explanation is simple. he had the wrong weapon with him. a shotgun is the wrong weapon in just about any situation you can expect innocent people to be nearby. in a busy area like this there are too many elements you cannot control and may not notice.

>> shots fired. [siren] >> when a suspect should set you, you should back by instinct with any weapon you have got. the officer made his mistake in taking his shotgun out of his car. the situation had people everywhere indoors and out. most cops get a fair amount of practice with their sidearms, but they don't fire a shotgun very often. unless they are hunters, they don't know what happens after they pull the trigger. a shell has nine pellets, each about the size of a .39 caliber projectile.

many other types of shells are available, these are the most common multiple-pellet shells the police use. a shell with a single rifle slug is also used if penetrating power is called for. anytime you fire a multiple pellet shell, you have to keep in mind you are firing more than one pellet, and each has its own trajectory. they're going generally toward the target, the only time they are all together is when they are still in the gun. once they leave the gun, they separate farther and farther. next time you take a shower, notice how the water sprays. it is the same idea. that is why the officer who shot wounded three people aside from the suspect. these targets are set up to duplicate the positions of the people at the jewelry store. they are fired at from the same distance. the results are exactly what a

spray of bullets would cause. the spray, or pattern, is never exactly the same. in this example, rosemary was not hit at all. with his .38, he would have only hit the suspect. one shot. but a shotgun cannot give you that kind of accuracy, even at close range. the suspect target here is 50 feet from the officer, one third of the range. at a greater range, this is 100 yards, not one of the silhouettes was hit. as any skeet shooter will tell you, hitting a close target is not always a matter of range.

sometimes, it can scatter all around the target. sometimes it does not touch it at all. if a shotgun is so inaccurate, why would he take it with him? many cops grab it because he gives them a feeling of security. they think it is a superior weapon. it is more powerful than a sidearm. a shotgun does not have to be aimed carefully. when there is no time to aim, you can whirl, fire and blow the guy away. the better you understand the weapons available to you, the better-equipped you will be to do your job. for example, not one officer in 10 has a clear idea of how bullets ricochet. this applies to your .38 and your shotgun pellets. most people think that a bullet

will ricochet off the surface at the same angle it hit the surface, sort of like a billiard ball. but after it hits the surface, the bullet or group of pellets tend to follow pretty close to the surface they hit. [gunshot] >> the pellets hit the pavement, and even though they had a close angle, not one of them struck the car. once you leave your car with a shotgun in your hand, you have got it for good or bad. you may not fire it, but you sure as hell are committed to hanging on to it. in that situation, the officer's car is on the other side of the shopping center. the suspect is resisting arrest.

he knows that the cop will not fire the shotgun with so many people around. the guy with the shotgun cannot put it down and cannot help his partner. what will he do? ask a little old lady to hold it for him? no, he is simply stuck with a weapon. he should've realized before he left the car that a shotgun would be no help at all in a busy shopping area. >> hey! >> in a deserted alley, a shotgun may seem like the

perfect weapon, but it is the middle of the afternoon and no one can guarantee the alley will stay deserted. >> what is the matter? >> he could without the shotgun, kid. and he has nowhere to put it. to put it plainly, these are cases where the shotgun was worse than useless. it kept the officers from doing their job. where and when is it the right weapon?

in some tactical situations, it might be wise for one officer to carry a shotgun. it would only be used if a situation developed that it would be best to use. two different weapons with two different uses are ready. and there are situations where a shotgun is the best possible weapon for a cop to have. >> 10-4. dispatcher: wanted, armed and

dangerous. >> i have three male suspects in the vehicle. i'm going to make a stop. [siren] >> freeze. stay in your car and put your hands on your head. >> this is a classic case for choosing a shotgun. the officer is in a relatively isolated area with little traffic. he is dealing with more than one suspect and is told they are armed and dangerous. only the suspects are within

range and in his line of fire. the psychological effect of a heavier weapon can often be a big advantage. >> we have located an open door on the south side of the warehouse. we'll be entering the building at this time. >> two at the north and two at the south. two officers are in the building. >> the most important single point to keep in mind when you think about taking a shotgun out of your car is always the same. will there be innocent people around? it is not likely in deserted areas or stores or factories that are closed.

[gunshot] >> the greater your range, the wider your spread of pellets. you can fire a shotgun fast, pointing instead of aiming it. [gunshot] >> at close range, you can blast the hell out of almost anything. >> don't shoot. here is my gun. >> hands on your head, come out slow. >> the psychological effects of a shotgun and the impact it has helps in many occasions.

but, when it is only a cop, his gun and an armed suspect, it damn well better be the right gun. >> two officers are in the building. >> you are watching american history tv, all weekend every weekend on c-span 3. to join the conversation like us on facebook @c-span history. up next on history tv, the national archives host a panel of scholars discussing the equal rights amendment. introduced in 1923, the constitutional amendment was not passed until 1972, but it fell three states short of the 38 it needed by ratification by the 1982 deadline. this looks at the history of the