Double Barrel. Nothing scarier than a Woman with a double Barrel 12 gauge.
Given that she's mentioned civil unrest specifically, I wouldn't want to be limited to two shots.
BTW, winter...If you expect to be in a protracted fight (which is very, very unlikely once you start firing off rounds) keep in mind how the cops do it. If an officer is carrying a shotgun, he puts it down after the last round is out and pulls his pistol.
Don't let the reload time scare you away fdrom a shotgun, though. People don't hang around in the area when one is being fired off at them.