Home-defense guns are a matter of personal taste. Some women like a nightstand gun that is easily concealed and can be carried outside of the home.
But while it's much easier to keep a handgun out of sight, there's a case to be made that the shotgun is the ultimate in home-defense guns. Some experts claim that the simple act of chambering a round in a shotgun--and staring down its long barrel--can be a powerful deterrent to would-be criminals and home invaders.
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National Rifle Association Women On Target Clinic director Patricia McLelland-Merydith has a lot of experience with shotguns. She works the gun counter in the hunting division of Sportsman's Warehouse in Rocklin, Calif., and is a competitive trap shooter, trap instructor and Women on Target instructor.
"My assessment of the correct self-defense firearm is based on my experience selling firearms, providing trapshooting instruction to men, women and teenagers, and directing these women-only clinics," McLelland-Merydith said.
McLelland-Merydith says she has sold more than $230,000 worth of shotguns in a two-year period, and she has also sold many pistols, revolvers and rifles...
