I vote for the shotgun. Nothing scares a human more than facing a shotgun ready to go off. Consequently, you will probably not have to pull the trigger. The other advantage of a shotgun is that it is hard to miss when you do pull the trigger.

I use a 1oz 00 buckshot shell. Some may think that shell is too small, but I don't want to remodel the house after I pull the trigger.

See, you better believe I will be the new owner of a firearm in the near future. Possibly a lady S&W revolver. Still thinking...

A friend accused me of being "too fearful" and told me "guns are not the answer" but you know what? Fear is what keeps humans alive.

And I'd rather have a gun and not need it, than not have a gun and need one.

Oh well.

i'm totally with you Amy. i never thought i'd want a gun either. i did grow up in the Bay Area after all. But now, after hearing the horror stories of lawlessness that can happen, i'm thinking differently. You know the same thing could happen in California when the "big one" occurs. People keep saying the "big one" is coming, and everytime we have a big earthquake, the experts say it was big but it's not the "big one." Which is really scary.

When I moved out of my dad's house to start my first real job in the city, he gave me three things: a Mossberg 12 gauge, a box full of various ammo, and a handshake.
If there's one thing that I would add to Confederate Yankee's post is the consideration of location. If you live in an apartment building or heavily developed area, then you need to consider where a shot might go if you happen to miss. A pistol can be loaded with hydro-shock (or similar) ammo that will mushroom in a sheetrock wall as easily as it will in a would-be looter. A shotgun will blow a large hole in that same wall, but won't keep going like a rifle bullet will. I'd recommend a shotgun over a pistol simply because you need to stay in better practice with a pistol to be as effective with it. We'd all love to go to the range regularly, but that's not always practical. With some good initial practice, anyone can be effective with a shotgun without shooting regularly.

Amy,
I've seen the repsonse you sai dyour friend had before. The best & most snarky way to reply is that guns are the answer; they've just not understood the question.

Trevor,
Hydrashoks or any other hollowpoint will act just like full metal jacket ammo when they hit sheetrock. They rely on fluidic materials to initiate expansion & sheet rock isn't thick enough or damp enough to initiate expansion - least not in any meaningful sense.

There are frangible projectiles out there - it's just hollowpoints aren't them.

& I could nit pick CY's post (which I will eventually - good naturedly of course - us gun nuts have to stick together even when internecine conflicts arise) but his advice is prety solid as is. He's not really worried about over pentration (i.e. going through walls) simply cause the main concern is to stop whoever is attacking you. What he speaks of isn't the usual aprtment dweller consideration where over pentration should be considered.

& it's practical to go to a range. It may not be convenient but it's very damn practical. If you're in some place that it's not, then move. Shooting is like any other skill; you need to practice it periodically to maintain your skill level.

& miss Annika - yw for the linky thanks (damn that sounds almost kinky) but Cali has many, many things to be scared of. Did I ever tell you how bad the gun control laws were out there...? :P But then again I'm just a fear peddlar & not to be taken seriously lol

Cola, I'm not saying a sheetrock wall will stop a hydrashok (thanks for the spelling correction btw,) only that it reduces the projectile's ability to pentrate subsequent targets, hopefully rendering it less than lethal to anyone not placed directly on the other side. My point is that a shotgun's lower muzzle velocity offers better safety while allowing for less practice. While I agree with Kim Du Toit's notion of a Nation of Rifleman, I'm doubtful that it will become ubiquitous. You don't have to convince me of the usefullness. I specifically bought a a large tract of land on which I'm building a home so that I can practice at my convenience. I'm lucky, but most folks aren't. I'd rather they learn the basics of shotgun work than give up on regular pistol practice when they find they can't fit it into their daily grind.