Choosing a Weapon for Home Defense and Every Day Carry

This topic has been beat to death all over the place in different forums and I try to avoid debating about it because a lot of it is subjective and many people are closed minded and impossible to reason with. But a fellow Steemian asked me my opinion on the topic, so I sat down for what seemed like an eternity and gave him my opinions. I thought that other people may have the same questions and in case they do, here is my input.

First, let me tell you that I'm not your average gun enthusiast claiming to know everything about weaponry because I don't.
Although, I have about 30 years of experience just shooting guns. I also was on the SWAT Team at the Sheriff's Office that I worked at. I had experience in every position in an entry raid stack, like running point on entry to providing rear shotgun security. I finally reached my goal of becoming a Specialized Firearms Instructor through the North Carolina Justice Academy, which is a very prestigious certification to earn. Having that certification allowed me to qualify our departments officers every year. That is something sworn officers that carry guns have to do annually, is qualify with what they carry. If they do not score what is required, then they can no longer carry a gun. I was certified to qualify handguns, shotguns, automatic weapons and sniper rifles. I've won several awards and earned the highest citations possible by maintaining 100% scores in daytime and night time as well as the combat course for multiple years in a row. I had to take an early retirement due to contracting Multiple Sclerosis but to this day, I still shoot as often as I can to keep my skills sharp. Marksmanship is like anything else, if you don't use it, you lose it! I'm just telling you this so that you know that I'm not just a random guy on the internet spewing useless or incorrect information. So enough about me, lets answer your questions.

Choice of home defense weapons relies on several factors like what kind of dwelling do you live in, how many occupants are in your dwelling, where the occupants' bedrooms are at that live in your dwelling to how close your neighbors are in relation to your home. Of course, there are other factors but these are the basic and main things to take in to consideration. And I'm sure I have probably left something out but thats a pretty good start.

My home defense weapon is different than my every day carry weapon. Although, I have multiple guns positioned in various locations through my house. What I consider to be my main home defense weapon is a Remington 870 Tactical 12 gauge shotgun. I will post a video of me shooting it. The reason I choose this weapon is because it is so versatile and powerful. I can load the weapon with low powered bird shot or high powered bear stopping shells. I also have a light on the weapon which I believe is imperative. There are some people that will argue about having a light on a gun but don't listen to them. They will argue that the light gives the intruder a target to shoot at which is true. BUT, just because you have a light on your gun doesn't mean you have to use it! It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it! So why would you not want one?

Choosing the proper shells for the shotgun is very important also. If you will notice my shotgun in the video, I have a side saddle mounted to the side of the receiver. Notice that there are different shells in the holder? I do that for a very good reason. The shotgun holds 6 shells but I only keep 5 in the magazine tube. The reason for that is because I can decide which shell will be fired first. In my shell selection I have double ought buckshot, 1 ounce slugs, a defense round that has a slug AND 3 buckshot pellets in it (which is pretty badass) and bird shot. Now this may be extreme to some people but it's the way I want to do it. For example, if I detect someone is outside on my property (I don't call 911), I will probably chamber the slug and pellet combo due to it will have more range than the other shells. If I detect someone is already in my home, then I will chamber a 00 buck shell. The ones I have are what we used in the Sheriff's Office, they're Federal Tactile Low Recoil shells. The low recoil allows for faster follow up shots. The only reason I have bird shot in the equation is for snakes or any other critter that needs to be disposed of. ALTHOUGH, bird shot is nothing to laugh at! It can definitely kill a man! We actually used bird shot when raiding a mobile home, apartment or when there were several occupants in the dwelling. Bird shot is perfect for those situations because It's not likely to go through walls. But in my house, 00 buck is my choice. I could keep going on and on about the types of shotguns and shells that would be the best but I would be here all night. Pump vs auto, 12 gauge vs 410 and yada, yada, yada. Some of this stuff is subjective but at least you now know what I use and have an idea. The most important thing is SOMETHING is always better that NOTHING! I don't know how big of a person you are or anything so a 12 gauge may be a little too big for you. But they make low recoil shells that are really not that bad to shoot. I can shoot a high powered shell with one hand if that tells you anything. But my point is, is that there are several options in the shotgun category.
Now, on to EDC (every day carry). This is also subjective and people get very wound up about this kind of stuff. I have man, many guns and out of all of them, I choose to carry my Glock 26 concealed. When I say I have a lot of guns, I mean I have a lot of guns. Just in handguns I have .380's, .38's, .357's, 9mm's, .40's, .45's and .44's.

The Glock 26 is a sub compact 9 mm semi automatic striker fired pistol. There are people who love Glocks and there are people who hate them. I am not a Glock fanboy as some people will say. I have several other brands of handguns like Smith and Wesson, Kimber, Colt, Beretta, Sig Sauer, Walther, Ruger, H&K and probably something I'm forgetting. But out of all of those, I choose Glock. Glock is an extremely reliable and accurate weapon. I carried one on patrol for several years and also carried a 27 while working undercover in narcotics. I'm also a Glock Armorer, so I have a little experience with the things and I trust my life with them. I sleep beside a model 21 (full size .45) with a Surefire rail light attached. Some people may say I am paranoid but those people haven't sent members of the Mexican Mafia to prison either.

Why 9mm? Good question! I have a Glock 27 that is a .40 caliber and it is the exact same size as the 26 9mm. So why would I choose to carry the smaller round? Another great question, my good man! With the advancement in ammunition, the 9mm has improved drastically over the years. In fact the FBI switched from carrying the .40 to the smaller 9mm. The military also uses 9mm. The 9mm is a very effective round and has advantages over it's bigger brother, the .40. With the Glock 26 9mm, you can carry more rounds than the .40. There is also less recoil which allows for faster follow up shots and target acquisition. The .40 is a high pressure round which means that shooting the weapon causes more strain on the gun which in turn increases the chance of a failure. For theses reasons stated, I choose my 9.

Revolver or Semi-Auto? You're just full of questions aren't ya lol!
This is really preference. Either one would be better than nothing and both are just fine to carry. People will say that a revolver is more reliable than a semi but a revolver can malfunction as well. I have had a couple of different malfunctions with revolvers. Many people do not realize just how many parts are inside of a revolver, they're more complicated than what you would think. The action can lock up and the timing can be off just to name a couple of things that can go wrong. Semi-autos have came a long way over the years. The majority of the time when a semi-auto malfunctions, it's because of the shooter. The shooter may have been limp wristing, didn't have the magazine seated properly or didn't let the slide fully seat by not chambering a round properly. I have a Glock 17 9mm Gen 1 (made in the 1990's) that has had approximately 75 thousand rounds put through it with ZERO malfunctions! All original parts also, nothing has been replaced! It is the same gun that I carried through rookie school and won the top shot award with. So I wouldn't worry about reliability too much. As long as you buy a quality weapon, it should serve you well. Although, there are lemons with EVERY manufacturer, I don't care who it is! I have a Sig Sauer that is a pile of junk but I also have some that are great and the majority of Sigs are outstanding but I have one that slipped through QC apparently.

Are ya still with me here? I sure hope you appreciate all this info because I have been sitting in front of this laptop for hours now because I'm a one finger typer lol.

So basically, I would get a shotgun for home defense and a compact or sub compact handgun for EDC. If you choose a revolver, I recommend getting one with a bobbed or concealed hammer so it wont catch on your clothes. Which ever weapons you choose, the main thing is to practice with them as much as you possibly can. One reason is to make sure the weapon is reliable and you're comfortable with it and the other is so you will be more fluid or efficient with the weapon. I sure hope some of this helped lol. Feel free to ask me anything, I'm always glad to help if I can!