Defending yourself requires planning and preparation in advance in order to be genuinely effective. It would sound totally laughable if someone were to suggest to you that you wait until someone is breaking into your home to cause you harm before you go to the store to buy a gun, learn how to use it and run through some practice drills in order to be fully prepared to meet the threat. But that is regrettably what most Americans do.
Having decided ahead of time that you need to be as prepared as possible to defend yourself and your family within your own home, the question does arise as to what type of firearm is best suited for home defense. The debate is typically between the shotgun crowd on one side of the debate, and the handgun folks on the other. (An assault rifle is only good for defending your home against looting and rioting in the streets during a complete breakdown of civil order such as in the cases of New Orleans, Los Angeles and Georgia to name a few and wont' be discussed here.)
The best firearm for home defense is a revolver. (Any firearm that is not actively being monitored must be properly secured.) Never shoot at a target that you are not absolutely sure is hostile. Never shoot at shadows.
- A shotgun is difficult to use when trying to engage a threat with any sort of accuracy. You want to strike your target without collateral damage and a shotgun is likely to damage a lot more that just your intended target.
- A shotgun is difficult to wield around corners and it's length makes it easy for someone hiding behind a corner to grab it from you.
Firearms are not magic! Simply having one is not enough to ensure your safety. You must practice regularly with your firearm in case you ever need to defend yourself. A firearm is worthless if you miss your target.
