Barb, I'm glad you gathered at least some food for thought. It sounds like your cousin will have good insight as to the best tool for the job. (I will keep him in my thoughts) Also, the clarifications you made will make suggestions much easier. And as far as the title to your post, (stupid question), there are no stupid questions just stupid answers. Just joking. In all seriousness, it is these "stupid questions" that I believe everyone learns at least a little from.! Thanks for asking it.<br><br>Ade, well said! I instantaneously envisioned barb launching 223's through six apartment walls from her ranch rifle.. I like the way Kavanaugh summarized it, ie. the pavlovian bell, that we're all guilty of reacting to at some time or another. <br><br>MKII, Thanks for the clarification on your thoughts regarding rifle vs. shotgun. I reread my post and realized it sounded condescending. My bad, that was not my intention.<br><br>And you are right, with cheap construction and powerful ammo these days, overpenetration is a serious concern. It doesn't matter if it's a shotgun, handgun, or rfile, the ammunition must match it's desired result and enviiornment.<br><br>"only reason i menchened the sp101, is because it has a real long trigger pull, and in that time you can decide wether or not you should shoot the person"<br>First off I love the SP101 it is indeed a great revolver. However, I'm guilty of finding fault in the previous quotation. IMO you should not have your finger on the trigger unless you intend to kill whatever the gun is pointed at, period. A surefire flashligt (E2) by the bedside will eliminate the need to guess what is going bump in the night.<br><br>It is easy to criticize the opinions of others, without offering opinions of your own. So here goes, if you only could get 1 gun and don't want to break the bank, I recommend the mossberg 590. It holds 9 shells and has a 20 inch barrel. Easy enough to move around the bedroom with but also offers enough distance. If you need to shoot farther than the 590 can offer than you probably shouldn't be shooting at all. You can find them used for fairly cheap. Surefire also makes an integral forend, (the place where you actually "cock" the shotgun) which provides illumintation. Avoid non-necessary additions like heat shield (testosterone shield), pistol grip, side saddle, bandoliers, etc. Also avoid magnum loads at first. Try to get proper training with a 12ga. before you make your purchase, that way you'll know if the 12ga is too much gun. I'm sure it will not be as I've taught many small framed, (@100lbs), females to shoot very well. In fact women are usually better shooters after proper training than most men. I guess that all men already "know" how to shoot and this makes it more difficult to break their bad habits and rituals. Good luck and shoot safe.<br><br>Also barb, there are many non-violent ways to deter looters.<br><br>GATOR<br>