To add to that, i think one of the most important aspects of choosing a home defense weapon is simply choosing a weapon that you're comfortable and skilled with using. In other words, don't buy a gun of any kind for home defense and never use it.... go to the range once in a while and make sure you're familiar with it. If it sits for 6 years collecting dust and "that night" comes, you don't need the added stress of not remembering how to load it, where the safety is, the feel of the trigger, etc. In that case, you're better off throwing frying pans down the hallway (hey... they can hurt!)