Robb,<br><br>God help me, but I have to respectfully disagree with the opinions expressed thus far.<br><br>IMHO, a home defense gun should be a handgun. The shotgun has a lot going for it in terms of power and intimidation, but the advantages of the handgun outweigh those IMO. Here are some of them, in no particular order:<br><br>1. Can be used one handed. Useful when another hand is needed to : dial 911, usher kids into "safe room" (more on that later), flip light switches, activate alarms, lock doors, operate a flashlight, etc....<br><br>2. Handguns appropriate for both women AND home defense are easier (and cheaper) to find than shotguns meeting the same criteria. Sorry if that seems sexist.<br><br>3. Handguns are smaller and lighter than shotguns. This is an important consideration when the weapon may be clutched tightly in hands until police arrive. The smaller factor is also important when investigating that noise which may or may not be an intruder, and turns out to be an intoxicated neighbor trying to get into "his" house. Don't laugh, this has happened to me twice --bad neighbor I suppose-- but my handgun was kept behind my back, neighbor was embarrassed, but didn't have to change his shorts. <br><br>4. Handguns are more retention friendly, particularly in certain models. A shotgun sticks way out, giving the person attempting to grab it a long lever. A handgun is more difficult to grab (smaller target), and certain models have features, which when employed, can keep the weapon from being used on it's owner in the event that it does get taken away . <br><br>5. While it is true that shotguns have a shorter learning curve than handguns, the time required to learn to safely use a handgun at across the room distances isn't that great. I was able to teach my wife the basics over a weekend. She was able to hit a torso sized target at ten feet with the whole magazine of her handgun after one weekend.<br><br>Please keep in mind that a handgun (or any gun for that matter) in the home is not an answer in and of itself, it may, in fact, be a liability in some circumstances. Like most of the things that we hope will never happen to us, prevention is the key. Adequate home security measures are a must. Locks, lighting, alarms, etc...should all be taken care of before a handgun is considered. Plans (similar to fire drills) should be made covering individual responsibilities i.e: Dad grabs gun and kids and gets then to saferoom, Mom calls police, etc... This should also allow for people missing i.e: Dad is away, Mom grabs gun and cell phone and runs to kid's room, speed dials police and assumes "mama bear" role).<br><br>The safe room concept has proven itself again and again. This simply a room where the family has decided to hole up and wait for the cavalry (or to make a last stand) This room is usually the master bedroom, but your circumstances may alter that. In my case, it is the children's room, my house layout leaves me no choice. In the event that I am alerted of a home invasion, I grab gun, cell phone and wife and scurry to kid's room. Wife then calls police, and stays on the line with them, keeping them up to date. I announce to everyone in earshot that I am aware of the intruder, have a gun, have called the police, and that any attempt to enter the room with the cartoon characters on the door will result in shots fired. Staying on the line with the police prevents them from getting lost, thinking that the emergency is over, or shooting me by mistake.<br><br><br>Uh-oh, storm moving in...more later.<br><br>Take care,<br>Andy <br>