What are the reasons for owning a gun? People will give different reasons, they’ll say for hunting, for protection, or home defense, maybe to exercise the 2^nd amendment rights, others cite Zombie defense. Yes, I did say Zombie defense. We can cover that in another post, as well as 2^nd amendment rights. That leaves hunting and home or personal defense. Lets look at home defense.

What is it? Just like it suggests. Possessing a weapon that can be used in defense of oneself and family in the home. That place you should always feel safe, your bastion from the world. Owning a gun can help one attain a greater level of certainty in the outcome should they find themselves in situation. I will leave the philosophical arguments for others to argue the merits of having a gun in the house for defense. My position is clear as everyone has learned from my previous post, I own a semi-automatic pistol. Instead, I’d like to discuss which type of gun for home defense.

Only two come to mind for me, shotgun or pistol. We’ll talk shotgun first. Length is important, not too long or it will be hard to maneuver. Most shotguns run in length from 36 to 44 inches. Imagine trying to run around the house carefully with a broom or dust mop handle positioned on your shoulder. Not an easy thing, bound to run into something. A lamp, a wall, perhaps you catch it on a open door. In this case shorter is better, more maneuverable. A Mossberg 500 Tactical Cruiser would be my choice. It’s a 12 gauge pump shotgun that is just under 29 inches in length. It has pistol grip instead of the normal stock and a hand strap attached to the pump fore end action. The strap is intended to prevent the gun from being wrestled from your hands. The gun is meant to be shot from out front of the body or at the waist. It’s my opinion that positive identification is critical in an encounter, so an additional accessory must be ordered, that is a light for night encounters. I would recommend a TACSTAR Light 121. It’s meant to be mounted to the magazine tube and comes with a remote switch to activate the light. Last is the ammunition. Need something that will knock down an intruder, but I must consider others household members and neighbors. In my case I live in a townhouse, I don’t want penetrate the drywall and hurt someone next door or in another room. There’s a good article which supports the use of number 4 buckshot. I agree with authors reasoning. In addition to loading the shotgun with that; I would also load my last shell as #4 birdshot. Remember, last one in first one out. The #4 birdshout would be my warning shot. It could be fatal, but I’d like to think I gave an intruder a chance to leave.

We’ll that’s my idea of a good home defense shotgun. But to be effective one must practice and not only yourself but anyone in the household that is likely to use the weapon. Take it to the local range and shoot several rounds. Get used to the feel of gun. How it kicks, how it aims. Use the same ammunition you plan to use at home. Practice at home. First, ensure the weapon is unloaded. Then, practice carrying the weapon at ready position around the house. See how it feels and handles, do this during the day. The rehearsal or practice will give you an idea what it might be like to clear your home. Then, do it again at night, with the gun unloaded. Turn off the house lights, turn on the flash light mounted at the end of the gun. Walk the house. See the difference between clearing the house during the day versus at night with a flashlight. Practice makes perfect, it’ll also make the neighbors talk, keep your blinds closed when you practice at night, a flash light going from room to room may generate a call by neighbors to law enforcement thinking there is a burglar in the house.

Hopefully this information will give you an idea of how to arm yourself in defense of you, your family and home. This is far from an authoritative source but I hope you find it thought provoking and assist with generating some interest and ideas for home defense. Next post we’ll cover the pistol as a home defense weapon.