Riding Shotgun: Rules, History, Duties of Riding Shotgun

Everything You’d Ever Want to Know:
Riding Shotgun

Jed always rode "shotgun."

“Shotgun!”

How many car trips have begun with that memorable word? The correct answer is undoubtedly “countless” or “how many stars are in the sky?”

Calling and riding shotgun is an American original in every sense of the term.

This article concerns all things riding shotgun: definition, history, origin, rights, privileges, duties and rules.

DEFINITION

Just so there’s no disputes about the definition of ’shotgun’, here’s a good one:

The term “Shotgun” refers to the front passenger seat of an automobile. “Calling Shotgun” is the act of claiming the position of Shotgun for one’s self. As this position is the most coveted of all positions when riding in a car, the following list of rules has been created to ensure that Shotgun can be acquired in a fair and equitable manner by any passenger of an automobile.

For readers wanting a second opinion, here’s the Wikipedia version

To ride shotgun is to sit in the front passenger seat when riding a car or other vehicle, a phrase commonly heard in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Due to the influence of American popular culture it is also heard in several European countries such as Iceland, Ireland, Denmark and the United Kingdom, as well as other countries with large English-speaking populations such as South Africa and Israel.

ORIGIN

Where did the term “riding shotgun” originate?

The first known reference to “riding shotgun” in print occurred in Western pulp fiction in the March 27, 1921 issue of the Washington Post’s “Magazine of Fiction,” in a story entitled “The Fighting Fool” by Dane Coolidge. It was used to refer to riding as an armed guard in the front of a stagecoach, next to the driver (this would usually have been on the left, as stage drivers traditionally sat on the right, near the brake).

Historians have been unable to find a use of the term “riding shotgun” in the actual time of the Old West, when the terminology actually used was riding as “shotgun messenger.” The use of the phrase in print to refer to automobiles occurred in 1954 simultaneously with the TV series Gunsmoke, which became extremely popular, and used the terminology of riding shotgun nearly weekly.

RULES

There are many local variations of the rules below. But the basic rules, like truth, beauty and hope, always remain the same. It’s good to get the ground and local rules in place before any important–or incidental–trip.

OFFICIAL RULES
of Calling Shotgun

1) The first person to yell “SHOTGUN” gets to ride in the front seat.
2) The remaining back seats may be divvied up in the same manner by being the first to call “back right seat”, etc..
3) The word “shotgun” must be loud enough to be heard by at least one witness. If no witness is to be found, or in case of a tie, the driver has the final word. After all, it is most likely his car. (note: if it isn’t his car, and the owner is present, the owner’s decision is final. Owner must be sober, however, or he will defer his judgment to the driver.)
4) Early calls are strictly prohibited. All occupants of the vehicle (including the driver) must be outside of the building and directly on the way to the vehicle before shotgun may be called. Under no circumstances may a person call shotgun inside a building. For sake of simplicity, a garage is considered to be outside. Parking structures and detached garages are always considered as being outdoors, even if they are underground.
5) A person may only call shotgun for one way of a trip. Shotgun can never be called while inside a vehicle or still technically on the way to the first location. For example, one can not get out of a vehicle and call Shotgun for the return journey.
6) Being as how everyone is created equal, men have the same right as women to the front seat of the car. i.e. women don’t own the front seat.
7) One is allowed to ride shotgun as many times as he can call it, but for himself only. No one can call shotgun for their slower friend, unless the friend has a speech or mental handicap that prevents them from calling it for themselves.
The driver has final say in all ties and disputes. The driver has the right to suspend or remove all shotgun privileges from one or more persons.

HISTORY

The history of calling “Shotgun” goes back to the days of covered wagons and the Wild West. On a trip across the plains, the driver of a wagon would hold the reins of his horse team and concentrate on driving. This left him and the occupants of his wagon susceptible to sneak attacks from bandits and thieves. To avoid this atrocious circumstance it became necessary for one person to sit next to the driver with a shotgun and fend off the enemy.

Defending against bandits is no longer the priority of Shotgun however, but it has evolved into a pre-driving ritual that is experienced before almost every car ride across America and even the world. Because of the obvious evolution that has already occurred with Shotgun, we ask you to consider Shotgun as a living entity and be aware that it is always changing for the better good of society.

RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES, DUTIES

Riding shotgun–like all positions of responsibility carries attendant duties, as well as privileges and rights.

RIGHTS of Riding Shotgun
1. The winner of shotgun may occupy the passenger seat.
2. The winner of shotgun may lean back in his seat as far as he wishes. If the winner of shotgun leans back too far and thus receives of an assault upon his head, he may request review of the situation by the driver. Though the driver’s ruling is final, presumption stands with the winner of shotgun and not the plebian in the back.
3. The winner of shotgun shall get second dibs (after the driver) at any communal purchase, including, but not limited to: food, drink, and smokes.
4. The winner of shotgun may chew any gum left in the driver/passenger area of the vehicle.

PRIVILEGES of Riding Shotgun
1. The winner of shotgun may control what, if any music is being played.
2. The winner of shotgun may engage in discretionary vehicular climate control.
3. The winner of shotgun may engage in witty banter with the driver at any time, feeling free to exclude or insult those not in the driver or passenger seats.
4. The winner of shotgun may exercise control over his window status. This control may be overridden only for purposes of climate adjustment by the driver. “But I want to hear the super-sweet Yngwie J. Malmsteen guitar solo!” is not a sufficient reason to override privilege 4.
5. The winner of shotgun may distribute drive-through-acquired fast food as he sees fit. No retaliation without prior driver consent for perceptions of unfair fast food distribution is permissible while the winner of shotgun occupies the passenger seat. Order must be maintained.

DUTIES of Riding Shotgun
1. The winner of shotgun shall serve as co-pilot, giving impeccable driving directions to the driver.
2. The winner of shotgun is to blame for any and all navigational errors. If the winner of shotgun gives a correct navigational directive that is not followed, he may not say “I told you so.” This sort of disrespectful banter is reserved only for the plebeians in the back. Order must be maintained.
3. The winner of shotgun shall support and obey the driver in all things lawful.
4. If a body is needed to run into the proverbial QuickStop for a pack of fags or to return a video, the winner of shotgun shall happily volunteer for duty.
–From “Rights, Privileges and Duties of Riding Shotgun”

All things shotgun, all in one article.

by Mondoreb
Sources:
* The Official Shotgun Rules
* Riding Shotgun
* Shotgun Guide
* The Rights, Privileges and Duties of Riding Shotgun