Hoo boy. Where to start? I've had this talk so many times over the years I'll just go with the foot notes. Shotguns > Handguns for home defense. Know the laws. Practice shooting it, cleaning it, knowing the gun inside and out. Know gun safety like the back of your hand. Buying a gun as a reactionary measure to a traumatic event isn't exercising the best sound judgement. If you're going to have a gun for the purpose of self defense, you better be damn good and ready to actually kill and deal with all the consequences thereafter. Otherwise it's a liability and could cause more harm than good. Seriously, know the laws. Crazy as it sounds, warning shots can land you in just as much if not more trouble than straight up maiming and even killing a man. Be smart. Be safe. Have fun. Keep an eye on the lady.