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The OP should take advice from his local firearms shop and nowhere else.
I would tend to disagree with that statement, somewhat strongly. I'll address that in a moment.
I would suggest looking into a NRA Basic Pistol course. This is a course designed for new shooters. It covers many topics that will create a foundation for solid marksmanship and safe firearm handling. Some class locations may offer a number of firearms to try out in order to help find the right fit.
I know, some of you are thinking, eww, the NRA. Teh debbil! Wrong. Look at their training programs and tell me there are better programs with that kind of availability. There aren't. They are also priced reasonably.
Why would I say don't listen to the gun shop folks? Well, do you take recommendations on what car you buy from the car dealership salesman? I know I don't. You can gather opinions, and read articles until you're blue int he face, but you have to get out and put your hands on the firearm; find out of it fits your hand, the sights suit your eye. How is the recoil? Can you comfortably reach the controls? Does it jam if you limp-wrist it? You can't get those answers from anyone but yourself, and you need some trigger time to get those answers.
If you are buying a firearm for home protection, a shotgun is what you want.
Agree re: shotgun. Way less likely that your kids will be able to harm one another with it if they get their hands on it, too.
Naturally, I'm all about gun safety, but things happen sometimes. Handguns are a much bigger "play" item for kids who are too young to get that guns kill.
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Why would I say don't listen to the gun shop folks? Well, do you take recommendations on what car you buy from the car dealership salesman? I know I don't. You can gather opinions, and read articles until you're blue int he face, but you have to get out and put your hands on the firearm; find out of it fits your hand, the sights suit your eye. How is the recoil? Can you comfortably reach the controls? Does it jam if you limp-wrist it? You can't get those answers from anyone but yourself, and you need some trigger time to get those answers.
Very good advice. Even as an experienced gun owner, I have to very cautious when soliciting advice from gun dealers.
For the OP... like others have said, find a shooting range that rents a wide variety of weapons. Talk with experienced friends about their weapons of preference. Seek advice, make an informed decision and practice, practice practice.
I firmly stand by my suggestion that a shotgun is a excellent choice for home defense. However, whatever you choose, you should practice with that weapon. If you cannot find firearms training, and most importantly, self-defense firearms training, practice drills with an unloaded weapon. It might seem silly, but in crisis, your actions are more likely to default to training. If you have never trained with a firearm, you are relying on circumstance.
All this to say, the absolute worst decision you could make is buy a gun, place it in your nightstand and believe that you are prepared for a home invasion.
A shotgun is much more training intensive than a handgun. You still have aim/point the shotgun. At in home distances the spread of buck shot would be 2-3 inches as best.
A shotgun loaded with any sort of defensive ammo will penitrate more than a handgun, an ar15 penitrates even less than a handgun.
For a novice or even an average shooter the shotgun is the worst choice. They are longer, heavier, kick the most, hold the fewest rounds, and are more prone to user error (short stroking under stress) than any other platform.
A shotgun can be a beast of a weapon, but a terrible selection for someone who puts a box of shells down the bore right after purchase and then tucks it away in the closet for years. Out of all the home defense options, a shotgun take the most initial and continuous training by far.
This is another reason I like the shotgun. Forces a thoughtful owner to train to shoot it well.
Load it and forget it is one of the worst things that people can do with a gun.
I do agree re: the ease of shooting an AR-15, though.
Which makes it a bit iffy if you have young kids in the house because kids have this way of getting into things you don't want them to get into, sadly.
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Ideally you spend years learning boxing or obtaining a black belt in a worthy martial art. Ideally. Likewise with time and training spent with firearms, and more exactly the firearm(s) you own.
But the reality is some people take "self defense classes" that amount to a few hours or a few days of training. Likewise with many people and the hours or days spent learning how to use a firearm.
So, if you're planning on seldom if ever actually shooting your weapon then you don't need to purchase an expensive brand of firearm if you don't want. Actually, you would not have to even if you planned on training with your weapon with some frequency.
Kind of like if you only plan on taking a few hours of "self defense classes" you don't have to invest in buying expensive boxing gloves or Mexican style "puncher gloves" or a bunch of boxing or martial arts equipment for sparring or whatever.
It is true some brand of guns are more reputable and reliable than others. True. Glock has a following among civilians and is the semiauto handgun of choice among American special ops units for a reason. Once upon a time I had a Glock and it is a good handgun.
But an inexpensive gun can kill you just as well too. Just like a cheap kitchen knife can kill you just as well as an expensive custom made battle knife that costs over $1,000.
If I'm going out in the field to shoot often and possibly to do battle I much prefer the expensive and reliable handgun as well as the $1,000 blade that's resilient to stress.
But if you just want something around for the blue moon occasion you might need it to walk to the front door with to frighten away or warn a potential intruder with, then it's reasonable to spend less if you want.
You can't go wrong with a Glock or even a Taurus. But if you want a less expensive brand firearm that is fine too. And you can get a .357 revolver and load it with .38 ammunition which should give you a lower recoil. For your purpose, presumably.
A shotgun is fine but it has its drawbacks and advantages. Same can be said with the semiauto pistol or revolver too. But overall the pistol probably provides the best flexibility tactically around your home, yard, garage, driveway, walking out to the car to grab groceries (when a strange car is parked by your house) etc. you can get a remora holster for your gun. Works great. Works awesome actually.
And for your purpose, presumably, you only need a semiauto (if you go with that and not a revolver) that has a single stack magazine.
I tend to have a paranoid mind, so, what I would prepare for myself would be different than what you're looking for. For example, I only used double stack magazine handguns due to my paranoia even though I have small hands for a man. And I see danger in a thousand different directions. I've been talking myself down out of this and telling myself if I ever buy another gun it is okay to just by a slim single stack. If I could by hand grenades I probably would that is how paranoid my mind works. I think I need to shower with a revolver by me. That kind of think. And due to my infantry military training I view my most vulnerable times being entering and existing friendly lines, or in civilian terms entering and existing home. But it is not good, or at peace anyways, staying that paranoid.
I bring this up because some people--due their own paranoia though they don't realize it--will tell you that you have to have x kind of caliber gun or only y brands of guns etc.
But you need to figure out what is reasonable for you. Because unlike you I am all for concealed carry and even owning assault rifles. Even with a double stack semiauto 9 in my waistband underneath a shirt, I would still feel paranoid at times that I'm not armed enough for battle. That I need an assault rifle nearby. And even if I had that I would probably still feel like I need some hand grenades.
I won't say if I have a gun and if I do, what type of gun.
However, my favorite gun is the CZ-75 ....I first fired one in Europe and I've never fired anything that I enjoy shooting as much as that weapon. I'm not into guns at all, but I really love that one.
I won't say whether or not I have one, but you can use your imagination.
The OP should take advice from his local firearms shop and nowhere else.
Ya, he needs to walk out with the most expensive firearm in the place. Great advice
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