Is a shotgun a deadly weapon?

In the interest of time, I am just going to quote this article, since it seems to have been broken at the original site.

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — A Lowell, Mass. man has struck a plea agreement with prosecutors that effectively reduces the prison sentence he is serving for firing a shotgun at his ex-wife at a New Hampshire mall.

Arthur Kousounadis was convicted two years ago of felony criminal threatening in the December 2006 shooting at Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua.

He was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison, but the state Supreme Court this month threw out the conviction. The court said the trial judge should have asked the jury to specifically decide whether a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun qualifies as a deadly weapon.

Instead of a new trial on the charge, Kousounadis pleaded guilty and was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison — one year less than his original term.
Man gets shorter sentence in NH mall gunplay - NashuaTelegraph.com (24 December 2009)
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/statenewengland/496969-227/man-gets-...
http://tinyurl.com/yckxk6f

You can read the opinion of the court here.