Lupara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lupara (Italian pronunciation: [luˈpaːra]) is an Italian word used to refer to a sawn-off shotgun of the break-action type. It is traditionally associated with the Sicilian Mafia for their use of it in vendettas, defense, and hunting.
The shortened barrel(s) of a lupara lend themselves to easier handling in wooded areas, or to easier concealment and indoor deployment in urban areas. The absence of a choke and the shortened barrel contribute to a wider spread of shot than that of a choked full-length gun.
The word lupara means literally "for the wolf", reflecting its traditional use in wolf hunting. The word achieved wider recognition through Mario Puzo's bestselling novel The Godfather in which the lupara is used extensively by the mafia in Sicily, including Michael Corleone's bodyguards in Sicily, Calo and Fabrizio.[1]
Lupara can indicate also the type of ammunition fired by this gun, usually #3 or #4 buck. Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, in his novel The Leopard (Il Gattopardo), writes: "... they found him dead ... with twelve bullets in his back" (... lo hanno trovato morto ... con dodici lupare nella schiena). (Lupare is the plural of lupara, so the phrase means "twelve pellets from a lupara".)
From the word lupara comes the Italian expression lupara bianca (white lupara), a term especially used by journalists to refer to a mafia-style slaying in which the victim's body is deliberately destroyed or hidden.[2]
