Sale of the SPAS-12 in the United States was originally through Firearms Import and Export (FIE), and later American Arms Inc. Originally envisioned as a dedicated and rugged police shotgun, the SPAS acronym initially stood for Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun, but was later renamed to Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun in the hope this name would be less likely to cause problems with exports to the United States.

The SPAS-12 was sold primarily to law enforcement customers and on the civilian market and has been featured in many movies, TV shows, and video games.

Most depictions of the SPAS-12 in video games feature the shotgun with the first-generation lever safety. Several iterations of the SPAS-12 existed throughout its 21-year production run, with four different stock types (fixed, folding, removed and skeletal) and three manners of safety mechanisms, though perhaps the foldable stock version is the most well-known, either with or without the bracing hook on the buttstock. A series of two guide lines engraved onto the top of the heatshield serves as the mode indicator when matched up to the rear end of the pump sleeve the forend matched up against the front guide denotes semi-automatic mode, and pump-action for the rearward line. To switch modes, the user simply need to push down a button on the underside of the forend, then either locking the forearm forward (semi-automatic), or sliding it back towards the shooter (pump-action). The idea behind the dual modes is to have the weapon cycle in semi-automatic when using normal shells, while the pump-action setting is for low-pressure ammo such as beanbag or baton rounds. It is a dual-mode shotgun, adjustable for semi-automatic or pump-action operation at the push of a button in accordance with the type of ammunition being used at the time.

The SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun manufactured by Italian firearms company Franchi from 1979 to 2000.

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