Should "shotgun' for sitting in the front seat be

Post Reply New Topic

Should saying "shotgun" for when you sit in the front seat be changed to something else that doesn't mention guns?

Comes from the old west stage coaches. The guy on the left holds the reins on the team of horses, while the guy on the right has his hands free, and so can cradle a shotgun in arms to fend off wild Indians and bandits.

The expression does not encourage gun violence. Canceling it would not decrease gun violence. As far as I can see.

Too much canceling. Not enough solutions...

I think bigger priorities exist than changing the term used for claiming the front seat.

The term "shotgun" is pretty dated these days. I think the updated term would be something like "machine gun" or "Uzi" . The passenger uses a machine gun when doing drive-bys. More seriously though, changing the term is a case of political correctness worrying about terminology instead of trying to take real action to reduce gun violence. Instead of trying to address the root causes of violence like poor mental health care, poverty, drugs, influence in the media(movies, video-games, music), ease of access to guns, a culture of bullying, racism, & religious discrimination. Changing the slang term "shutgun" to another term for front seat will be as effective as having a moment of silence after every mass shooting.

If you use the expression

you might

TRIGGER somebody!

"Shotgun" and "shots" are also drinking terms.
So is "bomb".