My definition of "bump in the night" is any unexplained noise. Nearly all are from harmless sources. They are an extremely frequent occurrence in my home due to pets and kids. My default response is generally to listen for a few minutes and then check it out after a few minutes with a handgun just to be sure. No need to barricade and/or call the police otherwise I would be doing so pretty much every few days.

Now a door being kicked in, a window breaking or any noise that makes me believe someone has most likely gained access into the home would be treated much differently and such sounds are usually easily identifiable.

Yes.

In all seriousness, it depends on your personal situation. I have both. If you're alone, hunker down in your room with the shotgun. Alamo tactics work best, but if you have to move (to secure a child, family member, etc) having a free hand is wise, so the handgun is better in that situation.

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Just the opinion of a kid

I have both Handguns and Shotguns,which ever one is colse to me if I need to use one for home defense.

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Life is short,live it fully.

If you are going to be protecting your self and your wife in one bedroom the shotgun would be my choice ,,

If there are children in the house in more then one bedrooms my S&W Compact in 40 or my Beretta PX-4 sub-compact in 9mm would be my choice if a possible hostage situation might evolve ..

I would not fire a shotgun toward a Perp holding a hostage for the obvious reasons .. but I might with a pistol if it was absolutely needed and I had no other choice !!

Nope. Single family home in arguably the best neighborhood in Philly. I'm close to DVSC.

Oh! Nice! Philly or Huntington Valley? Anyway...

I still say AR with proper HP ammo. Gold Dot 55 - 62 gr.better terminal ballistics, more ammo, better ammo selection....

But you know that area, you know how houses are built. 223 will have the least penetration but it's still an issue.... I have a townhome so for me 9, 40, 45, 223, shotgun...Is still a risk

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Everyone imagines "pump shotgun" when thinking of home defense. That would be one of my last choices. Nothing that requires two hands to cycle follow-up shots for me. Of the two choices (handgun or shotgun) I'm going with handgun for something to bring into action quickly or until I can get to an AR15.
A shotgun is for when you find someone trying to get your back door open or sneaking around the outside of your home trying all the windows and doors (Joe Biden style). A handgun is for when you wake up and there's someone in your hallway coming at you. You aren't going to appreciate that shotgun much when you are standing tow to tow and struggling with an intruder.
No disrespect to the cops here but it seems like a bad idea to invite anyone to the party that doesn't know the good guys from the bad guys. You are welcome to clean up afterwards.

I believe that this grew out of tactical rifles, where using two hands to operate the rifle it was a third hand to hold the light. Also, in the field, if you pointed the light and somebody was there, it had more chance of being a bad guy and the gun was ready.

I kind of favor holding the light off to one side because if they shoot at the light, you aren't behind it.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Don't shoot at the guy wearing pajamas or in his underwear. It's PROBABLY not the perp. The lady in the nightgown is off limits, too, as well as anybody under five feet tall.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Is the nude guy running out of my bedroom off limits?
Maybe, maybe not........

So will that M1.

My entire home is 27 feet long. Handgun

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Retired Career Security Guard

We have three big inside dogs. I know that they can raise holy hell if another dog walks down THEIR street, but I have doubts about their effectiveness in a break in. They would either all jump on him for a pet or hide in our closet.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

We have a black lab. He wouldn't hurt a sole but he is fairly good sized and has a very big bark. He is a proven watch dog but not much of a guard dog. His role is to let me know something is amiss and then get out of the way.

There are too many factors to consider for this to be an "either/or" question. What type of property? Where is it? How many occupants? ETC. Obviously a large acreage would require different tools than a small apartment. Rural locations will have different threats than urban. I have a large house in a small town. There are handguns staged throughout with a shotgun and AR ready to go just in case we're attacked by terrorists. Given my location, the likelihood of ever needing to use any of them is practically nil.

Just my 2¢ and YMMV

The first line of defense will be that totally devoted and trusted
four legged guy. Then the firearm you know how and are willing
to use.
If building new have a toggle switch next to your bed that lights
up positioned lights inside and outside your house. This might be
a problem with already constructed residences but...can be done.
Lots of sudden very bright lights will confuse any intruder for a
while. You'll need a while coming out of a deep sleep.
A few months ago I had my trusted and faithful four legged first line of defense put down. I don't sleep as well as I did.
My faithful Vizsla.
Poli Viejo

What about a S&W Governor or Taurus Judge? both of them are Handguns that can chamber .410 shotgun ammunition.

So you get the best of both worlds.

Sorry to hear about your Vizsla. I've never had one but I've known a couple, great dogs, fun dogs.
As our black lab turns more gray I dread the day he will move on.

One of the least discussed advantages of a shotgun over a handgun is that in many states, no special permitting is required to buy /own a long gun. All other arguments aside, this has made the shotgun the go to weapon of choice for many folks for a long time.

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Dave