Perhaps you should read the thread.
How can it possibly be the 'shotgun sidearm' when it's so terrible compared to all the other sidearms? There are other sidearms doing more DPS with twice the range.

Please do explain how this is 'jumping the gun', though. CCP have released stats. The stats are terrible. Are we meant to wait until we can see the pretty models before we point out that the gun is terrible?

What I am doing is explaining, quite clearly, that the weapon is outperformed in almost every way stats wise.
Would you like to give me an example of a weapon that has worse stats than everything else yet actually is a good weapon?

The description of the ion pistol refers to a single 'slug' or 'discharge'.
Also, if it fired multiple pellets it would quickly go from 'underpowered' to 'horrendously overpowered'.

A ruthlessly efficient close-quarters weapon, the ion pistol fires charged plasma munitions that rupture shields and scorch armor. Each discharge* is enveloped in an electrostatic sheath that reduces the field distortion and increases stability. The improved dispersion and stopping power is not without it's drawbacks though, as the higher density of each slug** generates excessive heat, enough to seize the weapon if the rate of fire is carefully controlled.

By overriding internal temperature controls, the weapon can be overcharged to produce a focused bulk discharge ***of sufficient lethality to neutralized most soft targets. Caution is advise however, as each overcharge shot will shut down internal systems until the excess heat can be flushed from the weapon's core.