<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A sawed - off shotgun (US, CAN) also called a sawn - off shotgun (UK, IRL, AU, NZ) and a short - barreled shotgun (SBS) (U.S. legislative terminology), is a type of shotgun with a shorter gun barrel--typically under 18 inches--and often a shortened or absent stock . Despite the colloquial term, barrels do not, strictly speaking, have to be shortened with a saw . Barrels can be manufactured at shorter lengths as an alternative to traditional, longer barrels . This makes them easier to transport due to their smaller profile and lighter weight . The design also makes the weapon easy to maneuver in cramped spaces, a feature sought by military close quarters combat units, law enforcement SWAT team users, and home defense purposes . With modern pump action / magazine tube shotguns, the shorter barrel limits the magazine capacity of the weapon due to the magazine tube protruding beyond the barrel . Therefore, the magazine tubes are matched in length to the barrel, which causes a reduction in the number of shells that can be held in the magazine tube . </P> <P> In the 1930s, the United States, Britain and Canada mandated that a proper permit be required to own these firearms . They are subject to legal restrictions depending upon jurisdiction . They also are in use by military forces and police agencies worldwide . </P>

Why would you saw off the barrel of a shotgun
find me the text answering this question