Buying my first home protection weapon

[elmerfuddem]

Getting pop corn.

[farmerj]

Getting pop corn.

got beer and cigars....

[Mn01r6]

I asked for a reference. You crapped out a google search loaded with anti-gun propaganda and regurgitated, manipulated studies from a medical community that is decidedly anti-gun.

You fail.

I see you've made up your mind and facts won't change it. You asked for references. Just because you reject them doesn't disprove them. Can you cite studies that prove your point?

"In 2008, there were 78,622 nonfatal firearm injuries in the United States, 73% of which were the result of
interpersonal violence.3 " http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/ficap/resourc ... ograph.pdf CITING US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WISQARS database. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/. Accessed June 2010.

This means 21,228 accidental injuries (or intentional self-inflicted injuries not resulting in death) from firearms occurred. Defensive gun use estimates vary, but the lowest Wikipedia lists are about 55,000 per year and the high end is in the millions.

[Hmac]

"In 2008, there were 78,622 nonfatal firearm injuries in the United States, 73% of which were the result of
interpersonal violence.3 " http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/ficap/resourc ... ograph.pdf CITING US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WISQARS database. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/. Accessed June 2010.

This means 21,228 accidental injuries (or intentional self-inflicted injuries not resulting in death) from firearms occurred. Defensive gun use estimates vary, but the lowest Wikipedia lists are about 55,000 per year and the high end is in the millions.

That's interesting data and might just prove me wrong. I hadn't considered brandishing as part of DGU (which is is) and Lott's research indicated it might be effective as much as 95% of the time. Interesting.

[Snakeman721]

I would opt for the pump shotgun with a short barrel (18"-20") for maneuverabilty in an apartment. I would also use birdshot (#6) as buckshot can and will penetrate drywall if you miss. #6 birdshot at indoor distances (under 20 feet) can be quite lethal. If not lethal, it will certainly STOP any attacter in his tracks. Personally, I like the Remington 870 line. Just my opinion.

[Mn01r6]

That's interesting data and might just prove me wrong. I hadn't considered brandishing as part of DGU (which is is) and Lott's research indicated it might be effective as much as 95% of the time. Interesting.

And with that being said, I still agree with your point - get some safety training. After all, you do increase the risk of being accidentally shot by yourself or a family member by having a gun in your house - you can't do something stupid with a gun if it isn't there in the first place.

[Tronster]

Getting back to the OP's question, I would also back the choice of a 20 or 12 gauge shotty. Load it with heavy bird shot (#4 to #6 shot), not buck shot. It will be very effective to a human attacker at the close 10-15 foot distances of an apartment, but bird shot is less likely to penetrate a wall into a neighboring apartment or would have little energy left over if it does get through.

Plus, the length of the shotgun will have more naturally pointable accuracy under stress than a handgun, and won't leave you deaf like an AR. Handguns are great for portability and self protection when you are out in public, but are difficult to shoot accurately under stress. As far as pump or semiauto, thats up to you.

[jgalt]

While AR vs Shotgun is a valid debate (and basically comes down to personal preference) the buckshot vs birdshot discussion is not.

Any projectile that will penetrate far enough to reliably stop a threat will go through one or more interior walls (as well as some exterior walls, depending on the round...). To steal a line included on the page linked to below - "Until someone invents a phaser, like on Star Trek, any ammunition that will effectively Stop a bad guy, will also penetrate several walls."

The way to determine what load to use in your shotgun is to answer the following question: Are you more concerned with protecting yourself & your family, or with avoiding any possible chance of injuring / killing your neighbor? Ideally there would be an answer that satisfies both halves of that question, but there just isn't at this point. I know what my answer is, but the only answer that matters is yours...

Here's hoping you & your wife never need to discover first hand which firearm / ammo type is most effective for you...

Shotgun-specific info => http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=176

More general self defense ammo / platform info => http://www.ar15.com/ammo/project/Self_D ... /index.htm

[Makarov]

http://www.theboxotruth.com/

Already mentioned above, but spend some time reading on this site.

[Packrat]

If you do go the 870 route here is a link to a build up of one. http://pureguntalk.com/showthread.php/1 ... tgun-Build
I remember when i was 20 never having alot of extra cash, you may have an Uncle or grampa who would hook you up with a starter shotgun.