I carried a 12 gauge Remington pump with shortened barrel in RVN. Someone told me it was a violation of the Geneva Conventions. I ignored him. Never did find out if he was right, but that baby was attached to me for 13 months....
I think that it was a matter of interpretation of various treaties in force at the time. Rifle bullets were not supposed to fragment. A shotgun firing 00 buckshot kinda defeats that rule, so...
Hollow point or "Dum Dum" bullets were the reason for the rule as I understand it.
No violation at all. When I landed at FSB Bastogne I was issued a Ithaca Model 37 with an 18 inch barrel. Seal teams were issued a 20 inch model with an extended mag, some even had the duckbill choke that would spread the shot horizontaly. I’ve got one of each but I don’t have the duckbill model both seen duty in Vietnam.