It's in 'To kill a mockingbird', where Atticus Finch is given the sherrif's gun in order to kill a dog suspected of having rabies. Atticus shot it a little above the left eye, and he says 'if I had my druthers I'd've taken a shotgun'.

I've always understood it to mean that given the choice he'd rather have taken......

LTS

And yes GUEST, I may have misquoted, but frankly my dear, I don't give a sh*t!