For in home defense, a shotgun wins hands down. deadly at short ranges but with the right loads, will not blow through too many walls. Don't use buckshot, use a load of #6s or smaller. These wil annihilate a target at close range, but will be much safer than any handgun bullet inside a house. Go get you a tied and tus 870 or Mossberg 500 and get the shortest barrel you can. I believe Mossberg offer the 500 in barrel lengths as short as 18.25".