BE PREPARED: Why You Really Need to Take a Defensive Shotgun Training Class. “Another issue that we need to address is the assumption that a shotgun is a beginner’s tool and is less complicated and easier to use than, say, a carbine for home defense. Having a conversation with a good friend yesterday who happens to be a 20-year veteran of the US Army Special Forces with numerous combat tours, he said, ‘Brother, people think running a fighting shotgun is easy. It’s actually the exact opposite.’ He laughed and continued, ‘A freakin’ machine gun is simpler.'”