SHOTGUNS - the only gun

My guess was that the movie was set in Canada (although I'm not sure if they state this, it's the impression I got) and in Canada it's a lot harder to get submachine guns or assault rifles or even handguns. Both for private security guards and for criminals. But shotguns (and rifles) you could buy in the local hardware or sporting goods stores. No need to take big risks buying & carrying illegal weapons when shotguns work just as well for what they were doing.

Yeah! I noticed that. I'm guessing it had to be a budget issue.

Fookin prawns!

I know what you mean about that because there should have been more weapons used to kill off Scanners in this movie.

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well a shotgun is usually a sure kill if you hit it. massive damage and distances werent long.

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"Common sense is not so common."
- Voltaire

Some automatic handguns, too. Keller has what looks like a Colt M1911 and the head guy escorting Revok at the beginning has a Walther P38.

At any rate, it's clear from what I have read about the film's production history that they had to begin shooting with a minimum of pre-production time. As a result it is likely the film crew just used whatever firearms they could obtain in the time they had.

"I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?"

because shotguns are simply the most bad-ass modern weapons available.

This is the problem with a generation of ignorant kids raised on dumb action games where the only way to maximize your murder spree is grabbing a fully automatic rifle or a rocket launcher. Handguns and shotguns are early game weapons, bro!

News flash, a shotgun is not an ineffective weapon in real life. It's probably the very best possible choice, in reality (given the right conditions). They are highly lethal when within range, more so than a low caliber firearm. And they are much more efficient than an automatic that is prone to jamming, spends ammo at an alarming rate, and isn't particularly accurate unless you are properly trained. You've heard about people surviving multiple gunshot wounds? Those people were not being blasted with shotguns at point blank range. Not to mention the fact that a shotgun isn't vulnerable to the ballistic fingerprinting that most other firearms are, which is kind of a huge consideration when you're gunning people down in the name of villainy.

Machine guns, to me, are a staple of cheap and stupid action films. Steven Seagal grade shlock. It's wannabe military nonsense. For show and flash. Revok wasn't trying to impress pre-teens who play too many FPS games, he was trying to kill some people. He used the proper tools, by my estimation.

Maybe they bought them in bulk.