fire arms for home protection purposes.?

Shotgun...

The kind of firearm is much less important that knowing how to use it. It is much more important to understand your firearm very well.

That being said, I recommend a .45 loaded with hollow point bullets. The most important thing when choosing a firearm for home protection is stopping power, you have to stop an assailant as opposed to wounding him/her and pissing them off. A shotgun would also accomplish this but it tends to be too big for accessing quickly.

Please do a lot more research on this before purchasing a firearm, for your safety. Look for a Firearm safety and training course in your area.

I would go with the 9mm semi automatic. A shotgun has a wide spray pattern and you might hit things you had no intention of hitting while the pistol has a greater round capacity and you won't run out of ammo in case you have gang problems. also it's difficult to wield a long barrel weapon in tight quarters - like in a room with furniture.

The .45 will go through your target, the wall behind him, the neighbors wall and into their wall on the other side of their room. It also kicks a lot harder and makes for a more difficult 2nd shot from the recoil and the ringing in your ears.

Shotgun. Nothing will send a robber out of your house better than the sound of someone "racking" a round into a shotgun.

Mossberg has a line of youth .20 Ga. shotguns they are small and with pistol grips put on them very handy for home defense also the .20 Ga with 00buck is plenty.

Statistically, if you have a gun for "home protection", the odds of someone in your house using it for suicide or domestic violence, or having an accident, are 10 times higher than you using it to defend your home.

It's a bad idea. Don't do it. If you feel unsafe, move to a safer neighborhood.

The "Hamburger Helper" ............ a .12 gauge shotgun !!

None of the above. A homeowner buying a gun for protection is a recipe for disaster. I can't tell you the number of cases that I have investigated where a homeowner bought a gun for "protection" and his child ended up shooting him/herself, the owner shot himself accidentally, the homeowner committed suicide with it, shot his neighbor by accident, blew a hole in the wall, had a visitor to the home accidental shoot someone, etc, etc.