The best safety device is the human brain. Get the boy a 22 and take him shooting and let him know that any time he wants to look at guns, you will gladly take them out and let him handle them safely. Make sure there is no mystery or magic about them.
AS for home defense, get a Mossberg 500 12 gauge shotgun with a pistol grip. You don’t even have to aim very well to hit your target. When shot from the hip/waist, your wife will hardly notice the recoil.
You’d be amazed what you can miss with a shotgun, 10,000 Sporting Clays targets a year has taught me that.
For the most part, I agree with the 20ga shotgun.
The sound of racking a shell will cause 99% of the bad guys run. The act of firing it is much easier to handle than a 12 ga with a pistol grip. And getting to shot #2 is going to be easier.
Just my 2 cents.
“AS for home defense, get a Mossberg 500 12 gauge shotgun with a pistol grip. You don’t even have to aim very well to hit your target. When shot from the hip/waist, your wife will hardly notice the recoil.”
The Mosberg 500 is a great home defense weapon, but with the pistol grip, the recoil is painful. Even with the full stock installed, it give a good solid kick.