War and Military Atlas

How Battles Were Fought
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Franchi SPAS-12

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The Franchi SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun manufactured by the Italian firearms company Franchi from 1979 to 2000. It offers dual-mode operation, letting the user switch between semi-automatic and pump-action fire. Originally named the Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun, Franchi rebranded it in 1990 as the Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun to meet United States import rules, though the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 ended American importation. The shotgun was adopted widely by military and law enforcement units as well as civilian buyers, and saw use in conflicts including the Troubles, the Lebanese Civil War and the Myanmar civil war. Roughly 37,000 units were built during its production run.

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