[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I will also need to make sure my wife is trained on whatever protection we obtain (shotgun, rifle or otherwise) in case I am incapable of protecting the family.....

One thing that many folks forget about when they buy a shotgun for home defense....hearing protection. You let loose with a 12ga or a 20ga scatter gun, it is LOUD. It will damage your hearing in close quarters.

I use the electronic headphone type of hearing protection and have a set right next to the Mossberg. There are many varieties and some are downright inexpensive.

These will actually enhances your hearing of ambient sounds in a house at night and will mute the built in microphones when it detects a noise above something like 60db. Beats the hell out of earplugs.

[oldenuff2no]

I’m a retired army vet. On the firings we always used hearing protection. I have never had time to put on hearing protection when facing hostile activity. To hesitate that long might just get you killed. Arm yourself first, make the weapon ready to fire, assess the situation, put yourself where you need to be and then put on hearing protection. Protect life first.
I use this type of hearing protection now while on the range but no other place.

[Marcella]

Funny story about ear plugs: I went to a nondenominational church and they hand out ear plugs when you enter in case the music is too loud for you. It was loud but I didn't use them. I kept the ear plugs in case I needed them for something else - shooting a gun would qualify.

Last Christmas, I went to a movie with relatives who were visiting. Had not been in a movie theater in years. The sound was so loud, it had to be destroying people's hearing (and I didn't have those ear plugs with me). I thought the people in there are going to have hearing aids in the future. If I had been my myself I would have left. I never want to go to a movie theater again. If you haven't been in years, don't go as the sound will kill your ears.