Originally Posted By: Phaedrus

That said, as long as you know how to use the shotgun it's a fine home defense tool, probably better overall than a sidearm.

In the home, my sidearm's purpose is to help me fight my way to one of my "retreat rooms". Where I have more capable longarms, extra ammo, cover, concealment, communications, and very importantly - complete control over the single door entrance into the room. If a bad guy wants to chase me down that rabbit hole, they have a big surprise waiting at the end. It's pretty much a reverse ambush with overwhelming odds against them.

However, that particular defense plan is for a home invasion of only a handful attackers. Not a mob outside with Molotov cocktails and such. You'll have to be on the move to get out of a mob situation, and a handgun is better suited for that IMHO. Also, sometimes you may need to conceal your firearm and blend in to escape a mob scene, and a handgun definitely wins there.

Unfortunately, if you want a handgun but don't have one already, you're probably out of luck. If you manage to score one, your next obstacle would be finding ammo for it.

With all due respect to the instructors out there, you do not need someone with an official "instructor" title to teach you to be safe and effective with a firearm. Pretty much any experienced and conscientious firearm owner can train you up to a high level of competence and safety. Official instructors are nice, but they don't have any super secret knowledge that nobody else has. Pretty much, they are just experienced and conscientious firearms owners that filled in some paperwork and paid a fee to get a certificate. Again, nothing against instructors, they can do a very good job, but they are not magical creatures. You do want someone who will teach you hands on though. Googling and reading webpages is not sufficient.