# Home invasion defense: hand gun, sawed-off shotgun, Uzi, etc.? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2012, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723 "2012-12-21T10:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/21 "2012-12-21T15:39:16Z")
Maybe the op could describe this “home invasion”? Is it one lost drunk stubbling into your house? Six fully armed thugs hell bent on stealing my Jack Russell collection? A thief, maybe a drug addict taking whatever he sees first? I got a knife, think that will help? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/22 "2012-12-21T15:39:43Z")
handgun, preferably loaded with rounds using (reliably) frangible bullets. Why? For one, I live in an apartment, so a rifle or slug gun is out because they look at plaster walls and go “OMG SRSLY?” as they punch right through. Some guy on Youtube did a demo of long gun rounds using multiple simulated walls (drywall/2x4.) Rifle bullets and shotgun slugs punched through all layers of it and went on their merry way. second, the people who think a 12-gauge is great for home defense have probably never fired one. A short-barreled 12-gauge has brutal recoil and the muzzle blast is a sight to see. And hear, because you won’t be hearing much for a while afterward. and I hope you’re not seriously asking if a handheld machine pistol (i.e. Uzi) would be appropriate. you’d put more rounds into the ceiling than what you were actually pointing at. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/23 "2012-12-21T15:54:43Z")
I said a handgun, but my reality is a doberman, 2 German shepherds, a standard poodle and a giant schnauzer. StG ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/24 "2012-12-21T15:59:47Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > In a real home invasion I don’t think I could assess the situation quickly and accurately enough to make the decision to fire until it was too late, so I don’t believe a gun would work for me. I just couldn’t pull the trigger. So my security team is my big dog who does not like strangers in the house. He keeps lookout, and will act as a non-lethal first line of defense against both criminals and police mistakes. In the extremely unlikely situation where he and I can’t handle the problem I guess we are screwed but the wife knows the escape route. Note that the cops will merrily shoot your dog, regardless of his size, breed, aggressive tendencies or lack thereof. He will later be described on the reports as “pit bull-type” and much will be made of how he aggressively bounded up, tail wagging. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/25 "2012-12-21T16:03:31Z")
Other: hypnosis and mind-control. I’ll convert the criminal into a saint by the time they leave my residence. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/26 "2012-12-21T16:07:48Z")
> [@IceQube](#): > > Other: hypnosis and mind-control. I’ll convert the criminal into a saint by the time they leave my residence. That has possibilities…can you make him give you his ill gotten gain, too? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/27 "2012-12-21T16:08:23Z")
> [@IceQube](#): > > I’ll convert the criminal into a saint by the time they leave my residence. Eh, that just means he’ll just have you eaten by bears or turned into a pillar of salt. Not really an improvement. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/28 "2012-12-21T16:12:09Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Eh, that just means he’ll just have you eaten by bears or turned into a pillar of salt. Not really an improvement. A minor nit pick. The first was a Prophet, and the latter the Big Guy Himself. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/29 "2012-12-21T16:13:11Z")
I meant saint in a metaphorical sense. 500 years from now I’ll be the one laughing. Capital punishment? What inhumanity! We can _make_ the criminal want to do good again. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/30 "2012-12-21T16:14:07Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I think you’re best off installing a very loud alarm horn that you can activate manually at one or more locations in your home. Most thieves are grab-and-go, not interested in a confrontation or any attention. Mash the button and get the fuck out of the house while the intruder is disoriented by the racket. I live in a second-story apartment. am I supposed to just jump out of the window? ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/31 "2012-12-21T16:17:36Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > Uh, where is the ‘home alarm system’ option? > > Last time I checked, no one has ever been killed accidentally by a home alarm system, no one has been killed while cleaning a home alarm system, and no kid was ever killed by stumbling across a home alarm system. That’s great if you live in the city, where a police car is, by plan, within a given radial patrol distance / response time. I live in the country, high up a hill, in a forest. “When seconds count, police are just minutes away.” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/32 "2012-12-21T16:28:13Z")
Take anything you want. Me and the dog are out the bedroom window. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/33 "2012-12-21T16:31:40Z")
> [@cougar58](#): > > I am amazed by those survivalists in Montana that say they own AR-15s to take on the US D of D…no AR15 will ever stop an F15 Eagle, Apache AH64 helicopter with its computerized night vision 30mm cannon with 2 mile range & Hellfire guided missiles, or A10 tank killer. You have the same odds of taking one these down with a Keltec or shotgun: zero I know right? Who could think that a lightly armed group of civilians and military veterans could stand up to the US military? What do they think, it’s possible to have a decade long war against a military force like that? Absurd! > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I chose “other”, as in “run”. Trying to stand up to a bunch of armed criminals bursting into your home is almost certainly going to get you killed regardless of what you are armed with or how badass you think you are, unless you have a tank in your living room you can climb into. Running would be the best option if possible. Even if you are armed. As long as it is only property that is at risk. But sometimes running is not possible and most people have family to worry about as well. I voted handgun. I am very well trained and have used them for years. Right now a rifle or shotgun would be impractical to store and I don’t need that kind of firepower at home. I don’t hunt and there are no rifle ranges anywhere close. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/34 "2012-12-21T17:00:35Z")
Handgun first, 911 if it’s safe to do so. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/35 "2012-12-21T17:06:45Z")
> [@Hilary\_Algar](#): > > Yes, I have never understood why anyone would chose a hand gun over a shotgun for defense against home invasion, but I hope the responses to this thread will enlighten me. My reasons for choosing a handgun rather than a shotgun: It’s easier to maneuver in the confines of a home. It’s easier to shoot (less recoil) Shooting a handgun indoors is going to do less permanent damage to my hearing than shooting a shotgun indoors It’s easier for me to securely store (my handgun is in a small safe hidden out of sight under my bed; a shotgun would have to go in a big, obvious gun safe) The handgun is a more multipurpose weapon for me - I can carry it (with the proper permit) and I can use it for target shooting (I’m not into skeet or trap shooting or hunting - at least not yet). Contrary to Internet myth, a shotgun DOES have to be aimed when used for home defense, as the pattern spread is minimal at normal room distances. But that long barrel does make it easier to aim accurately, and it has more stopping power than a handgun. Rounds from either a handgun or a shotgun can penetrate walls, so neither weapon has a decisive advantage there. It’s all a matter of picking what fits your situation best. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/36 "2012-12-21T17:11:59Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I chose “other”, as in “run”. Trying to stand up to a bunch of armed criminals bursting into your home is almost certainly going to get you killed regardless of what you are armed with. “Run” is a fantastic option when it’s available. But sometimes that option’s not there; my bedroom, for instance, is a room I can easily be trapped inside because it has only has one door and the windows are second story over a concrete patio. If criminals bust into my home and trapped me within my bedroom, I might have no choice but to fight, as going out those windows in a hurry is NOT an option. Hence my handgun. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/37 "2012-12-21T18:12:05Z")
Shotgun and heavy bird shot — say #6. Buck shoots through too much and I kinda like my neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/38 "2012-12-21T18:29:05Z")
Boiling oil and my trusty blunderbuss have always worked well. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/39 "2012-12-21T18:39:41Z")
Theoretically, a shotgun. Not sawed-off, because that’s a felony unless you do everything legally. In reality, a pistol as the shotgun is plugged to two rounds for hunting and I’m too lazy to change it every time. Recoil? 12 gauges have less, especially compared to Mosin-Nagant. Hearing? I have fired handguns outdoors and shotguns (albeit only birdshot). The former is **much** louder. Accuracy? IIRC shotguns are patterned to 40 yards. Even if you have cylinder choke (widest pattern), at indoors distances you still need to aim. My walls are concrete and the pets are short, so my selection is not limited by penetrability as much. Dog is little but vicious, but I’d think the type to greet strangers. Hard to round up 4 cats. I don’t have a back door, escape would be jumping out the 2nd story window. Or climbing out the first floor, which is even harder, and would put me right next to the front door. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723/40 "2012-12-21T19:24:55Z")
Well there is this [Protection Or Peril? Gun Possession Of Questionable Value In An Assault, Study Finds | ScienceDaily](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930121512.htm) > [@](#): > > In a first-of its-kind study, epidemiologists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that, on average, guns did not protect those who possessed them from being shot in an assault. The study estimated that people with a gun were 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those not possessing a gun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-invasion-defense-hand-gun-sawed-off-shotgun-uzi-etc/644723.md?page=3)