It takes a long time to become sufficiently proficient with a handgun to provide any meaningful degree of protection. Further, there are considerations about the type of handgun--my fingers are too short to control the handle on the modern double stack magazine 9 mm guns. After you get a gun you can really learn to control, you need to spend hours at a range practicing.
I know enough about guns to know that I don't want to be in a firefight with anyone anywhere--if you are defending your house, something with a long barrel is significantly more effective--a shotgun is clearly better.
One of the Al Queda events in the training material was to drive up to a house selected at random; kick the door in and shoot everyone inside. How do you defend that? Keep your shotgun handy? They probably wear bulletproof vests but presumably the shotgun will knock an assailant down. The handgun won't--so if you are defending yourself with a handgun in an attack, you need to practice headshots.
Bottom line--if you don't have military training; for primary defense, you are better off with a rifle or shotgun. The handgun is a secondary proposition after you decide you are also going to go to the trouble of getting a concealed carry permit and actually carry a gun.
That was the direction I was considering at this point...
My thoughts too. I bought my gun so I would never have to fire it (excluding practice), but would have it if needed.