I personally own no guns, and don’t keep any “weapons” on the upstairs “sleeping” level of the house. But I trained and taught various martial arts/self defense for several years and just wanted to offer an observation to all those who mention swords, bats, golf clubs, knives, and staves.
-If you intend to use something as a fighting tool, you should practice using it in an environment similar to where you expect to use it. I suspect few of us have houses with rooms and hallways spacious enough to maneuver a 6’ staff.
-Swords come in various kinds, to be used in various ways (stabbing vs slashing). Make sure you know how to use the ones you have (and have the space to use them.)
-In terms of golf clubs, I would recomment the putter - will probably have the shortest, stiffest shaft.
-Read up and practice using a bat as a weapon. Fighting ain’t hitting fungoes, and (as a very general rule) two-handed weapons generally require more expertise to use than one-handed. Many folk might be more comfortable with a smaller baton/club.
-Same with knives. The weapon itself is of little use if you don’t know how to use it, and can be worse than nothing if you have it taken from you and used against yourself.
Of course, these concerns may not matter since, as was mentioned above, in many cases the “weapons” undoubtedly act more as a security blanket and will never be used.
Just wondering - for those of you who have thought about/prepared for home defense - have you thought of and rehearsed (at least mentally) your response to various threats (including the possibility of escape when possible)? Familiarity with/control of your terrain is one huge advantage you would have against an intruder.