No way I'd go with non-lethal rounds (which I've never seen and I've bought a lot of shot gun shells over the years). If a person is breaking in to my house I'm shooting to kill, calling the police (before I shoot if time permits) then calling my lawyer. If you shoot someone to injure them then you open yourself up to a future lawsuit which worse case you are going to have to pay for your defense. I hope to never have to resort to violence to defend my family but I won't hesitate to do what ever I need to to make sure they are are safe.
Semi-auto handgun? All depends on how much you wanna spend. Under 500 go for a CZ or a 1911. Over 500 I think HK's are the best, but Sigs are pretty amazing too. After that, try to buy the biggest caliber round that you can handle comfortably. Don't buy a .45 just b/c you think it would be cool to have a bigger gun. Then again, don't buy a .22 expecting you can really do much damage with one. Try some out at a range.
If you look around you'll hear about "stopping power". This is a marketing ploy. If you ever took physics, F=M*A. If a gun would knock someone else over, it'll knock you over while shooting it. My girlfried went to http://www.topgunrange.com/ to try before she bought. They let her rent several calibers to see what she could control. Also, keep in mind that in one size there are many different types of bullets. For .38 handgun, there is .380ACP, 38 S&W, 38 Special, 38 Special +P, 38 Super and probably more. All have different weight bullets and all have different velocities and therefore different recoils (F=M*A). For instance a .357 magnum has more kick than a .38 Special. Here is a page that will show you several common handgun ammo types. Using this page, a standrd .38 Special gives 217 foot/pounds while a high-end .357 magnum gives 583 foot/pounds. Quite a difference. I have seen web posts by police officers who state that a handgun is what you use while you get your rifle. Rifles have higher velocities, and therefore cause greater damage with smaller bullets. You can very easily shoot someone with a small caliber handgun with no immediate effect. From the info I've seen, anything less than .40 may not be enough. Poliece used to use .38's but I think they all use 9mm or .40 ACP now. The bullet must penetrate deep enough to hit an organ or the spine. If you want nonlethal consider a taser, but the appropriate term is less lethal, since any "nonlethal" weapon can kill. They are, however, only single shot and very expensive. My first suggestion would be a basic revolver in whatever caliber you can handle. Revolvers are easier to maintain. The downside is that they have lower ammo capacity and take longer to reload, but if you're in a 1/2 hour gunfight you're probably screwed anyway. The easier cleaning process also means you'd be more likely to take care of it. I have heard good things about the revolvers from the following: Taurus and Smith & Wesson I'm thinking about getting this for my girlfriend: S&W 642 with Crimson Trace laser targeting grips. but it may be a bit much for you. The problem with long rifles & shotguns for home defense is that they're really long. It's difficult to aim around corners and whatnot. They make relatively short shotguns like this "street sweeper" but they require expensive and complicated Class III licenses from the ATF. Most rifles are designed for use against targets at several hundred feet. If you're feeling really cheap you could get a surplus comunist block sidearm. I've seen WWII era Russian m1895 Nagant revolvers for as little as $90, and there are tons of Polish, Czech, Russian, East German etc. pistols floating around.
Shotgun? No thanks. Ditch the blaster and go with the light saber. A more elegant weapon, from a more civilized age.
The police officer that patrolled my old neighborhood told us that if the intruder is on your porch or within 10 feet of the house, to shoot them and drag them to the entrance of your home. Sounds like a good idea to me.
lets say you had to use your gun to protect your home and ended up killing the intruder in your home. do you think you could still live in your house knowing that someone was killed there?
Why would it make a difference? I lived in a 90 year old house. Numerous people had been born in the house and at least 3 people had died there. Never made any difference, I loved that house.
well for one thing those people died of natural causes. as for the intruder you are the one that just blasted them and saw them die.
Death is death. If a situation occurred where I killed someone it would be in defense of my family. I'm not going to feel bad about it. I've seen people die before and I'm sure I'll see people die again. It isn't fun but I've never had a problem going back someplace I where watched someone die before so the answer to your first question would be, Yes I could still live there.
I am not a gun enthusiast nor an expert by any stretch, and those who are may correct me if I'm wrong, but a shotgun is the best choice for home protection due to the close proximity in which you would be shooting. Especially, if you are not, nor care to be, a good marksman. With handguns or a rifle you have to aim and be on target to hit anything. With a shotgun, you point and shoot in the general direction and you have a good chance of hitting the target. No precise aiming required. Not to mention, with handguns or rifles, if you miss, the chance of the bullet traveling through walls and hitting something unintended (like your neighbor) is higher. There is less chance of this with a shotgun blast.
Get a ninja sword!!! I have a .357 magnum colt python (wheel gun), Mossberg 12 guage shotgun, Taurus 9mm, & a .40 Barretta auto, & if all else fails.......I have a samurai sword in the side!!!!
