[Jeff Higgins]

Couldn't agree more - for anyone who cannot practice regularly, a shotgun is a better answer. Any long gun, really, is easier for novices or the unpracticed to wield effectively. Still, if you are able, it's nice to have that handgun close at hand in the nightstand. Grab it on your way to your shotgun, or if the intruder somehow got between you and your shotgun, which is across the room in the closet.

Novices and shotguns can pose one problem, though - they get pretty intimidated by the recoil. Thankfully, there are any number of "reduced recoil" loads out there these days. Some are even loaded in shortened shells, some short enough to even allow for a couple more in the magazine. Just make sure your shotgun feeds them reliably. I believe Mossberg at least, and maybe others, now have shotguns specifically modified to feed these short shells.

Yes, these have reduced pellet counts and reduced velocities but, let's face it - a full power 12 gauge is much, much more than we need in the living room. These reduced recoil, reduced power loads are still going to ruin someone's day in a big, big way.