Here at Task & Purpose, we’re tremendous fans of the retro training video. A technicolor artifact from a simpler time, they’re a captivating (and inadvertently hilarious) windows into the U.S. armed forces of yesteryear, from the life of a Vietnam-era Huey door gunner to a Marine Corps Reserve recruiting officer.
But hey, they’re also informative! Like this 15-minute 1976 training video on when, exactly, you should keep your sidearm holstered and go fucking buck wild with your trusty pump-action shotgun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYTzNlGLHEo
Yes, it’s civilian law enforcement, and yes, it’s not exactly a love letter to the trusty Mossberg that’s the breaching weapon of choice for anyone itching to throw down. But by God, the Pasadena Police Department basically created a short hard-boiled cop film, complete with urban gunfire. I mean, it opens with basically the worst possible way you can use a shotgun:
![](https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/02/image-placeholder-title-162.gif?strip=all&quality=95)
Joking aside, the video’s message doesn’t bode well for the shotgun-obsessed: it’s more a cautionary tale regarding the awesome and often uncontrollable power of military-grade buckshot. “A shotgun is a wrong weapon in just about any situation where you can expect innocent people to be nearby,” the narrator scowls. “In a busy area like this, there are too many elements you can’t control.”
So why carry one? Simple: “You can whirl, fire, and blow the guy away.”
![](https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/02/image-placeholder-title-163.gif?strip=all&quality=95)
These training videos are courtesy of the diligent Jeff Quitney. If you need me, I’ll be over here drinking bourbon and wondering what the hell I just watched.