Years ago I had a girlfriend who was a bartender. She had a key and from time to time, would let herself in after work, around 2 or 3 AM. She said, "I don't know why you keep that pistol on the nightstand. Burglars could steal the bed out from under you."

There's a lot to be said for a reliable sentry, two legs or four. Not all means of gain entry to a residence involve making enough noise to alert the occupants, so the alarm is useful.

For humane reasons there is a weapon light on the shotgun. Blinding them ensures that the last thing they see before leaving this vale of tears won't be me, naked, in the hallway.