I beg to differ. At normal house sized ranges you are not going to be getting any spread out of most shotguns. Shotgun ammunition stays in a pretty tight wad inside of 10m. You may, MAY, get some errant spread, but the bulk of it will be in a nice tight group.

You most definitely still need to aim with one. Ask any clay pigeon shooter. You can't just point it and to break a clay all you need is one teeny little pellet to hit. To stop an attacker you need more than that. And your target isn't much bigger than a clay.

Inside most houses all weapons will need aiming, besides probably a flame thrower. You'll have to aim your shotgun just as much as a rifle. And if you miss with the shot, it is easier to get another on target with a rifle than the shotgun.

A shotgun, especially a pump, can suffer stoppages. The easiest one is just not pumping hard or far enough, something people often do under stress. This is easily rectified, but it isn't always obvious and a click when you need a bang can really mess up your OODA loop, meaning you are even worse off. Reloading can be just as bad. If you get the shell past the loader plate, but not into the tube you can lock up the gun in such a way tools are needed to get it running again.

I'd also like to see a study on the effects of a pump being racked. I've never wet myself when guys on the line do it. I'm willing to bet it is a Hollywood inspired thing like thimbing the hammer back on your pistol to tell someone you "really mean business!"

The only advantage shotguns have is they are cheap. You can pick one up for about what I'd suggest in spending on tax stamps to get a properly set up AR.

KBK