Riding Shotgun

My friend told me this not too long ago and I thought I'd share my insight with you guys.

Have you ever wondered why reserving the passenger seat is referred to as calling 'shotgun'? I never knew until recently. Apparently when cops go patrolling in their cars, their partners always have a shotgun in the passenger window. That's where the name was derived from.

Neat huh?

i think it was from even Longer than that, i play Red Dead Redemption on the ps3 (gta style Cowboy game) and you can ride Shotgun in the Passanger Cart... i think its just like having protection and a shotgun works great. lol thats just my opinion,

EDIT: also now adays most cop cars have a shotgun on the door oposite the Driver. i have no idea why tho

I knew this already, and it's a pretty fun fact as well. The driver would always focus on driving, while the passenger would shoot through the window.

If you were wondering this is the best answer I've found

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080805144325AAcV0tq

Cool Story Bro.

But srsly...cool fact. I didn't know that.