After firing a pump shotgun, what is the required action to chamber a new round?

To chamber a new round in a pump shotgun after firing, the required action is to bring the slide to the rear and then return it forward. This action is an integral part of the operation of a pump-action shotgun. When the shooter pulls the slide back, it ejects the spent shell casing from the chamber. As the slide is pushed forward, it picks up a new round from the magazine and chambers it, making the shotgun ready to fire again.

This sequence is key to understanding the mechanics of pump shotguns, as they rely on the manual operation of the slide to load rounds. Each time a shot is fired, the shooter must perform this pump action to eject the fired shell and chamber a new one, ensuring continued operation of the firearm.

Using the trigger again would not chamber a new round; it merely attempts to fire again with the same round still in the chamber. Checking the safety is important for safe practices but does not address the immediate need to chamber a new round. Manually loading a shell would not be the standard action required after firing, as the pump action inherently facilitates this process automatically.