The LAW-12 was a sister product to the much better-known SPAS-12 shotgun made by Franchi in the 1980s. The SPAS was a selectable pump or semiauto system, and the LAW was semiauto only. This made it simpler, less expensive, and about 2 full pounds lighter. It was intended for the law enforcement market, with an eight-round magazine capacity (plus one in the chamber), a secondary “quick employment safety”, and magazine disconnect for select-slug drills. It never did prove particularly successful, though, on account of its relatively high price and its lack of compelling features to distinguish it from other options available at the time. Importation into the US ceased in 1989 as a result of the Bush import ban, and production ended in about 2000.