My non-Mall wife and I had this same discussion several weeks ago and came to a different conclusion--instead of a handgun we bought a shotgun (Remington 870 pump action 12 gauge), which I promptly modified to hold a total of 10 rounds.

I'm not disagreeing with Chris' reccomendation. With a small child in the house, and no cheap means of securing a handgun (biometric lock boxes are around $400), the shotgun was the best choice _for us_. We own a house in a reclaimed inner city neighborhood; the shotgun is loaded with birdshot, which is lethal at bedroom range. I have slugs and 00 buck in quantity available "for the marauding hordes of looters" if necessary <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'd prefer a 1911, but the wife is more comfortable with a longarm. Your mileage may vary.