Which one would you grab?

[ez bake]

#1 - Why go outside? Why go to the possible danger? Someone outside can hide and wait......with his buddies. Someone outside is only going to steal or vandalize. Stuff can be replaced.
#2 - While outside who is protecting the family inside? While you are in the backyard who is kicking in the front door.
#3 - Inside your house you can move from room to room, in the dark, and observe what is going on outside without exposing yourself......er, position. Then if you see something you can decide what to do, scare off the neighbors tom cat or call 911.
#4 - If the noise is created by someone intent on doing you harm and they try to enter, you have the advantage. Baracade yourself and the family with the shotgun.

Side note....I hunt deer and elk by hiding in trees or behind cover in the shadows. I wait on the animal to move into my view so that I kill it.
My 2 cents

This is the correct answer.

You're much more likely to find trouble if you go looking for it. I always ask people who do stuff like this if the gun changes your plan any (i.e. would you still go outside if you didn't have the gun?). If the answer is that the gun changes your actions (in this situation), then you need to re-examine your mindset. The gun is not an extension of your ego, but a tool to protect yourself (and your family) from life-threatening situations. It is also not a badge.

9MM is the "tool" I will use to get to a "Real Gun" my AR-15 Colt 6920 with Eotech Scope.

Good to see that we've got enough new folks on the board for the caliber debate again - I swear that horse was twitching. Almost as cool as "Shotguns are the best home defense weapon" posted by folks who haven't ever patterned 00-buck at 10yards or less (as well as those who consider bird-shot good for home-defense).

 

[twoguns?]

Shot gun! For me, mine is a Mossberg 500. As for going outside. Don't! Going outside will give you a good chance to open a chapter in your legal life that is not in your favor or to your liking!

.....unless I had those weapons... Nice
Just FYI if you hold down the 9 it will dial 911

 

[Hump66]

1)I wouldn't go outside. You know the layout/floorplan better than the bad guys, make them come to your homefield advantage.

2)I wouldn't take the AR solely based on how you have it set up. I don't know if ACOG's light up without ambient light, and i wouldn't want magnification at such short ranges. No light on the UZI, not taking it either, gotta positively ID the target. Shotgun would be my second choice out of these options, strictly based on ammo capacity/reloadability, and it's gonna be freakin loud. So with all that, my first choice would be the Beretta. Quiet, lazer makes for easy aiming, light to ID target, and magazines for quick reloads if necessary.

 

[n423]

shotgun w/buckshot, but agree to NOT go outside. BTW nice guns...

 

[338Shooter]

Nothing else on the list compares with an AR-15.

 

[OKCShooter]

#1 - Why go outside? Why go to the possible danger? Someone outside can hide and wait......with his buddies. Someone outside is only going to steal or vandalize. Stuff can be replaced.
#2 - While outside who is protecting the family inside? While you are in the backyard who is kicking in the front door.
#3 - Inside your house you can move from room to room, in the dark, and observe what is going on outside without exposing yourself......er, position. Then if you see something you can decide what to do, scare off the neighbors tom cat or call 911.
#4 - If the noise is created by someone intent on doing you harm and they try to enter, you have the advantage. Baracade yourself and the family with the shotgun.

Side note....I hunt deer and elk by hiding in trees or behind cover in the shadows. I wait on the animal to move into my view so that I kill it.
My 2 cents

That's well and good for you, but I felt that something was going on at that moment and grabbing my 2 kids and Wife and "hunkering down" in a closet (all that takes time) wasn't what I wanted to do. I wanted the possible "threat" stopped NOW

Honestly, I learned from this that everyone will think that they know what they will do until it happens - and by "happens" I'm talking hair on the back of your neck, imminent danger "happen" - Heck, I might have typed in the same armchair quarterback response you did if this didn't actually happen, but last night my Flight or Fight pointed me in the direction that I needed to respond, not wait for something to "Happen to me", but YMMV

 

[tntrex]

I'd say get what is the closest to you if you was heading that way. Less time for noise maker to move.

 

[Okie4570]

We live in the middle of know where, and my wife and I have discussed what we'd do in various situations like this. In every possible scenario, there was never any reason why either of us should ever go outside to investigate. We have chosen to stay as defensive as possible and not be offensive unless the perp is in the house, or gaining access to the house. Even if someone made it into the house, and some how managed to get back out, we're not following them back out.

 

[348]

Pistol.

 

[BadgeBunny]

I'm not going outside, but if they open that bedroom door they are gonna find out what it's like to see a shotgun blast up close and real personal like ... There is nothing in my house worth "going hunting" for except GC ... They can have it ALL ... that's what insurance is for.

We've had people in our back yard at night, drunks in our front yard and people trying to open the front door in broad daylight. Not to mention the fella who knocked on the door at 9:30 at night and wanted to buy my truck. Didn't want to take "no" for an answer and finally decided I meant business when I picked up the pistol off the table in the entry way. And this is what I would consider a pretty decent neighborhood, but the world has changed in the last few years ... and not for the better.

GC doesn't leave the house and come back unexpectedly without calling or announcing himself as he's coming down the hall, if I haven't seen him already.