Pistol, rifle, or shotgun: What is the best home defense weapon for you?

Here in the Philippines, while gun laws are very strict, we still have a wide range of options to choose from for our home defense weapon.  Under our current gun laws, it is possible and legal for qualified Filipinos to keep a pistol, high-powered rifle (HPR), or shotgun in their homes.  Thus, the question, of which among these is the most suitable, is real.  So what is the best home defense weapon for you?

The first step in determining the best weapon is the needs assessment.  What do your home and the general property location look like?  Is it in the middle of the city?  Are you in a condominium? Is your house in the middle of a one-hectare farm and surrounded by open fields?  The general location of the property is a very important consideration because of the different capabilities of the weapon itself.  The pistol is a good defense weapon but its size limits its accuracy over long distances so if you are in the middle of a farm, the pistol may not be the right choice.  On the other hand, the power of the rifle, together with the extreme penetration of its slugs, maybe more of a liability in the urban setting considering that the possibility of a shoot-through is very real.  The shotgun, on the other hand, is effective over distances too far for a pistol but with less danger of over-penetration of walls and barricades.  However, its magazine capacity and reloading complications are often-cited drawbacks pointed out by some gun enthusiasts.  But hey, if you need more than five rounds in a gunfight at home, maybe it is good to reconsider bringing out the gun in the first place!  My personal bottom line is a shotgun is best left at home.  It is bulky and heavy, thus having a lesser chance of being mistaken as a toy by children.  It is very effective in the close confines of a building and the possibility of a shoot though is less compared to the pistol and HPR.  However, in my assignments as a policeman where I live in less populated areas, the HPR is my weapon of choice at home because well, it is also my firearm when I go on patrol or police response!  But when I am traveling, the obvious choice is the pistol and there is no need to explain why!

The second is the assessment of its application.  Visualize how you are going to use your gun, especially the kind of adversaries that you will be confronting.  It is always a good idea to at least read the papers for the daily updates of the things happening around.  An occasional chat with your neighborhood policemen and tanods (neighborhood watchmen) for inside stories about criminality in your locality will not hurt.  Based on current reports, what kinds of criminals are you likely to encounter?  Petty thieves?  Armed robbers?  Insurgents?  In most cases in the city, burglars run away at the slightest indication that their victims are aware of their presence thus we heard stories of homeowners scaring away the intruders by simply clearing their throats to communicate the fact that they are awake.  Just imagine if these thieves hear a shotgun racking up or a rifle or pistol chambering a round!  It is noteworthy to concretize the reason why most robbers and burglars strike at night when most people are asleep:  they want less chance of discovery thus any slight indication that the victim is aware of their presence, most of them run away except for a few determined ones who are ready to hurt their victims and commit more serious crimes in the process.  However, in general, studies show that in the face of a determined resisting victim, a criminal would often escape if given the chance, thus yes, you can neutralize a potential threat by simply showing your readiness and determination to resist the attack.

The third very important consideration is your determination to use a firearm.  Are you ready to kill a person if needed?  This is crucial because there were already countless times when a gun owner freezes up during crunch time that the firearm was actually taken away and used against them.  Remember that when you are armed, you are bringing a gun into play and any hesitation on your part may result in the loss of control of this firearm, which could be fatal for you.  At the very least, when you take out your firearm and expose it, you are also giving the other party the option to use lethal force against you.  I purposely used the word “kill” because when you use a firearm your purpose should be to shoot in the “alpha zone” and more often than not, this will result in death.  Yes, the intention why you shoot is to repel the unlawful attack or aggression against you but still, you shoot in the “alpha zone”.  YOU DO NOT USE THE FIREARM WITH THE SURVIVAL AND SAFETY OF THE OTHER PARTY IN MIND!  Those people advising to shoot the hands or feet to disable an attacker do not know what they are talking about.  Especially in a home defense situation, the close confines of a house compel that when you use a firearm, you make sure that the bad guy does not move an inch further as that inch may be all that he needs to slash your throat with the knife he took from your kitchen.  Moreover, time and again, a home defense weapon may be one of those tools that we inspect and maintain less often, thus there is no real guarantee that you can shoot multiple rounds from it.  This even further highlights the need to make the first round that you fire count!

Whatever your choice of firearm for home defense, the basics still ring true.  Know your rights, train with your weapon, and develop a mindset that clears out everything so that during that crucial time when you need to apply all that you prepared for, you do everything automatically, without hesitation, and with a focused determination to survive.

Stay safe everyone!

Note: This article was previously published in the printed issue of The Corporate, Guide and Style for Professionals Magazine.

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About the Author: Gen. Nick Torre III is the current Head of the Quezon City Police District.