http://home.comcast.net/~dsmjd/tux/dsmjd/tech/home_defense.htm
Selecting a Home Defense Gun
v1.2 David S. Markowitz
Since I am "into guns," I have been asked a number of times what would be a good choice for someone looking to buy a gun to use for home defense. This is not as simple a question to answer as it may sound. Rather, there are a number of factors which need to be considered before making your final choice. These include:
* The laws in your jurisdiction regarding firearms ownership. Some of the best guns you can use for home defense are illegal in many jurisdictions.
* The "social environment" in which you live. I.e., urban, suburban, or rural? House or apartment building?
* Your level of experience with firearms in general, and the particular gun you're considering, in particular.
* Whether or not someone else in your household may have to use the gun selected.
* Whether or not you have children in the home.
* After taking these factors into account, we can then turn to the gun itself, and worry about things like rifle vs. pistol vs. shotgun, caliber choice, etc.
Let's look at these in turn.
First, the laws regulating firearms ownership in your jurisdiction. It does you no good to select your ideal firearm, only to find that it's possession by ordinary citizens is forbidden by law in your place of residence. For example, Morton Grove, Illinois has a ban on the possession of handguns by ordinary citizens. Other places make the ownership of certain weapons extremely difficult, e.g., New Jersey and New York City. While the net effect of these laws is to increase crime, rather than decrease it, the person who wants to stay out of trouble must at least be aware of them. Moreover, even if you choose to disregard these oppressive laws on moral grounds, you must periodically practice with your defense gun for it to be an effective means of defense. This is made difficult where you have to constantly worry about being caught with an "illegal" firearm.
The next item in my list of things to consider before choosing a home defense gun is what I've chosen to call "social environment." Where you live will influence what an appropriate choice will be. For example, suppose you live in an apartment building. One concern you'll have is overpenetration. You absolutely don't want a load which will go through a criminal, then through the wall behind him, and then strike an innocent bystander. In this situation, a short-barreled shotgun loaded loaded with one of the larger sizes of birdshot is an ideal choice, in my opinion. It offers excellent "stopping power," but the pellets won't blow through several walls to possibly hit someone else, like a pistol or rifle bullet will.
Likewise, whether you live in an urban, ......
(not to be confused with the compact .45)
