>A decent crossbow has more range than the average gun.<
Are you serious or drunk? Crossbows can shoot 500 yards or more?
Not drunk. Just a tad misinformed.
(I know, we usually think rifle, not shotgun, not pistol, can't help it.)
It would be fun to figure out the average effective range out there with .50 BMG et. al. at the high end, and cheeeeep .25 or muzzle loader single shot pistol at the other.
I should have said more range than the average handgun.
In a residential setting, ie. the living room, a crossbow, is as accurate or even more accurate than a handgun.
At 50 to 100 yards there is rarely a need for self-defense. At fifty yards you have to be a practiced shot with either a handgun or a crossbow (or real lucky). Most situations are pretty close. If a person came through my door and I was 20 feet away with a loaded crossbow, the person would be in serious jeopardy.
With either a handgun or a crossbow the trick is having it ready. A handgun just needs to have the trigger pulled. A lot of people have it locked up, or unloaded, or otherwise unaccessible. If you are limited to a crossbow, you need to load it, as it should not be left with a shaft in it.
All you need is the strength to load the shaft and then you have one very lethal shot. A good quality compound crossbow with a thirty pound pull(thirty pounds at a minimum) is probably all you need. Fifty pounds would be better.
A lot of people miss with either a bow or a handgun. So you need a steady aim. I can just imagine what it would be like to be standing five to twenty feet in front of someone with a compound bow or compound crossbow pointed right at me. That would not be a good feeling.