home defense
I would like to shift the responses a little from the legal aspects more towards accuracy/threat/lethality/intimidation factor. I have both Colt, Remington, and a 1911 .45 and while I used to feel the 1911 posed the best response to someone rattling around downstairs, I have recently started to re-think. My thinking is changing mostly due to the speed with which I can respond to any threat. For the 1911 I need to pull down the case, fidget with the trigger lock key in the dark, then pull the slide back and slam in a magazine that has 6 hydra shock and two full metal jackets. By contrast, I can pull down the presentation case, Unlock (a bigger easier key) drop the rammer, slide in a R&D cylinder loaded with 6 Long Colt .45's and I'm good to go. All that iron on the Remmy has a pretty good intimidation factor. The Plus is that I have a hunk of iron that can be used fairly defensively. Now from the home defense position, anyone down stairs can steal as much as they can haul out the front door before the Police show up, however coming up the stairs to where my wife and kids are they will be taking some lead back down if they continue up after I tell them to halt. My local Police officer said to be sure and put the 12" turkey carving knife in his hand before calling. I think this is pretty much the way I have instructed my wife, but for her, I want the weapon to be my 12 guage, which she doesn't have to aim and is fairly easy to drop two in, point and shoot under the same circumstances.
I think you need to evaluate the whole defensive nature of your individual layout, and then, just like a practice Family Fire Drill, do a Family defense drill.
One final note... About 20 years ago, we were living in a darkly lit surburban area in Maryland. Two men awoke me in the middle of the night when they used a long screwdriver to pop open the back door of a screened in back porch. I reached under the bed pulled the 12 guage Baretta out and went to the laundry room/kitchen entrance about 12 feet from the back door. I crouched alongside the washer dryer, leveled the gun and called out while flippin on the back porch light.. As soon as they saw the barrels, they dropped the screwdriver and ran, and a few minutes later the police rolled up. I can tell you from my personal experience that you couldn't have pounded a tooth pick up my back side with a sledge hammer I was so scared, but I'm pretty sure both barrels would have gone off had they charged me. I don't think anyone knows how they will react under threatening circumstances.
As for the two would be assailants, they were not found that night, but about 3 weeks later in a small tavern, just down the street two guys of the same description were involved in a ruckus where they shot a waitress(not fatally) while trying to rob the place, both were on drugs at the time. They were arrested in the attempted hold up and eventually tried and convicted.
KKKKFL