Unfortunately someone who is reckless enough to do home invasions is as likely to be a rapist. I work with level 4 inmates and the rapists among them have victimized as many as 5-12+ unarmed women before they were stopped - And those numbers are only the ones that they admit to. More often than not they were stopped by someone fighting back - often with a pistol.

Trust me - bad people don't fear cops as much as they fear an armed victim (that or a house with a big dog in it).

Rule 1: Locate significant other, pets and other loved ones immediately. as you don't want to shoot your kid in the face for slipping in past curfew.
Rule 2: If you plan to bring a weapon, make sure you know how to use and are willing to use it, and don't become a victim of your own weapon.
Rule 3: If they are escaping, let them...that was the original goal, right? chances are they wont be returning.

I haven't had a reason to use it, but i keep this and a 6 cell mag lite under the edge of the bed:
http://www.urbandev.net/mossberg3.jpg
Holds 7 shells,
2 Blanks - Urine inducing
2 Rock Salt - Bloody stinging anus
2 7-shot - Wounded, hopefully fleeing
1 00 buck - Now i have a mess and i have to call the property management agency and explain why my apartment needs new carpet...

I'd recommend spending the coin on a weapon-mounted light. Even a cheapo one that mounts on the end of your mag tube is better than a separate flashlight. Your escalation-of-force ammo list is nice but I don't think it does any good if you can't see the dude. If you can wrangle both a slide-action shotgun and a Mag-Lite effectively at the same time... you're a better man than I, Gunga Din. This is especially true if you need to go from one ammo type to another immediately. Shotguns require both hands due to weight, loading method, and the large size of their ammo versus their magazine type and capacity. Identification (illumination) of a threat is paramount and must be accomplished while the weapon is at the ready. One never shoots at something they can't see and but illuminating a threat without being able to immediately engage it is equally foolish, IMHO.

A bright light and a shotgun racking noise will send anybody sane running.

Real nice shotgun setup, though.

HAHAHAH... can I get that printed on the side of the hulls?

I fully agree, i plan to get one as soon as i can afford the one i want :D
It holds 7 rounds in the mag so i shouldn't have to reload, if i have to reload something has gone horribly wrong...

Working in the shop now, and our "go-to" weapon is the Saiga 12-bore with a 10-rounder in. With 3" OOO, it's over a hundred projectiles on target in about three seconds. Screw a machinegun. Silly thing has over 500 rounds through without a hiccup, every variety of ammo imagineable, and two inch 100-yard groups with slugs. You can't really go wrong with a 12-bore AK.

What do you grab when something goes bump in the night?
 

My girlfriend. She wears the pants in this relationship.

Currently, I have a golf club under my bed in case of an "event". Hubby and I have discussed getting a gun, but with a small child in the house, the idea makes me a little nervous.

Army lore: You have to be 2% smarter than the equipment you use. That means putting a lock on it. It's not hard. S&W and Taurus even have the lock built into the gun.

What do you call an unloaded gun with a proper lock on it? An expensive paperweight.

I may be rude, but I really wish people would stop fearing guns. Turns out they don't work without human intervention... much in the way your SUV won't randomly T-bone a loaded school bus and kill a child without somebody's clodhopper on the gas pedal and paws on the steering wheel.

I wasn't suggesting a reload in quantity of shells used (a dual-trigger SxS shotgun holds plenty for a home defense situation), but in type of ammunition used. Just a reminder that your "escalation of force" ammo types might not work for all situations. Just something to consider when your adrenaline is pumping hard and you pull the trigger on a blank round when a bad guy slides a kitchen knife between your ribs. I use rubber buckshot in my Mossberg 590. It'll kill up close but it gives 'em a chance at range.

A man in a dress? Talk about ball room.

Why is it important to use 3" mag OOO and have a 100 projectiles on target in three seconds?

I concur that the Saiga 12 is a great piece... but I'd worry about overkill in a situation like that. Remember to leave the body intact enough to identify. :surprised:

If someone's causing a "Katy bar the door" problem in a gunshop of all places, evolution needs to be swift, sure, and wildly overkill. One round would probably do the trick just fine, 12-bore is 12-bore, after all. But it's nice to know those other nine are there, just in case. Anyone crazy enough to make a play on a gunshop might -just- be smart enough to bring help...and we're in the middle of -bumfuck-. In a situation like that, instant and overwhelming firepower is sometimes your only recourse.

Such a piece also lessens the chance of something like that happening, since all the neighbors (not exactly trustworthy sorts under the best of circumstances, and that's without the Meth-and-Nyquil diet) are intimately familiar with its' capabilities. Deterrance works.

Hubby is an ex-Marine and therefore is quite comfortable with guns, but I haven't handled guns much and am not as knowledgeable about their use and whatnot. I am not averse to buying a gun and learning how to handle it properly...if it can be properly secured against a child's (and teenagers) curiousity.