By Karen Fisher
You’ve probably heard someone say, “just the sound a pump action shotgun is enough to make the bad guy turn and run”, right? Well, it should. But let’s talk about the real reason why the shotgun could actually be a great choice for home defense.
The biggest advantage to relying on a shotgun for home defense is that it produces multiple projectiles. Unless you’ve had a good degree of tactical training, it may be hard to hit your target, especially a moving target, using a handgun or rifle. You’re going to want to terminate the threat with the largest firepower you can deliver. If you go with high power, it’s a bad day for anyone who ends up at the wrong end of a barrel that is delivering a 12-gauge 00 buckshot. Think about that. That’s 8 hits by .33 caliber pellets at one time. Of course, we can’t ignore our safety rule – know your target and what is beyond. If you have loved ones on the other side of a common wall, you may want to consider a lighter birdshot load instead. At short range, birdshot will be devastating. A 20 gauge would also be a good choice, especially for women, because it has less recoil.
The shotgun is widely possessed by the majority of gun owners. It comes in a range of actions, so it should be easy to find a good fit for your level of knowledge or experience. A defensive shotgun can be as simple as a standard pump-action to a tactical model. Beyond your choice of shotgun and ammo, it’s important to remember that most home intrusions happen without notice. Consideration will need to be made for fear, high stress, and confusion, therefore, lack of precision when in defensive-mode could fall short. The shotgun gives you the potential to end the fight quicker than with a pistol or rifle.
