[ought-six]

The very best home defense weapon is a 12-gauge pump shotgun loaded with 00-buck. You don't have to be a great shot and the shots (those little round .50 caliber balls that make up 00-bukshot) won't overpenetrate to threaten a neighbor's house three doors down. The perp gets hit and goes down. Period. I am unaware of any history of a full-grown adult walking away from a load of 00-buck in his chest.

[two23]

"The very best home defense weapon is a 12-gauge pump shotgun loaded with 00-buck. You don't have to be a great shot and the shots (those little round .50 caliber balls that make up 00-bukshot) won't overpenetrate to threaten a neighbor's house three doors down. The perp gets hit and goes down. Period. I am unaware of any history of a full-grown adult walking away from a load of 00-buck in his chest."

I agree--but last year there was an article posted here at FR about a 65 year old widow woman who was forced to confront a home intruder. Her deceased husband left her his weapons, and she had to make a decision: Pistol or Shotgun?...she chose the pistol, she said, because (LOL) "I just had new counter tops put in and didn't want to damage them." (LOL)..yes, she shot the perp. Hilarious that this woman is thinking about her countertops while reaching for her weapon of choice!

[redgolum]

I lived in the Chicago area for a while. My insurance agent told me to get a shot gun loaded with 3 1/2 steel goose shot (BBB). That way you can claim you defended yourself with what you had. Using buckshot will get you in trouble, because the prosecutor will say you must have WANTED to KILL some POOR DEFENSELESS intruder.

Needless to say, I left Chicago. Now my home defense is a 1911 loaded with +p ammo.

[Mini-14]

little round .50 caliber balls that make up 00-bukshot

According to the labeling on my Federal cartridge boxes:

0 buckshot == .30 caliber
00 buckshot == .33 caliber
000 buckshot == .36 caliber

[brityank]

The very best home defense weapon is a 12-gauge pump shotgun loaded with 00-buck.

And a hacksaw.

The Miller decision simply noted that they (the USSC) had no valid information that a sawed off shotgun was a valid military arm; the persecutors did not present any evidence of the common 'trench guns' of the day, and neither the defendant nor his attorneys appeared at the session. The Court returned the case back to the prior court to get more info about the weapon. Contrary to popular opinion, that remand did not make sawed off shotguns illegal.

I have a hacksaw.