I’m generally in favor of near-unrestricted firearm ownership. If you’re going to learn, train, practice, and treat it as a hobby, that’s awesome, and may have some self-defense side-effects. But I strongly advise that one does not buy a shotgun (or any other firearm) primarily for this possibility. If you’re not pretty comfortable with it, it’s likely to do far more harm than good in a stress situation.
If the riots get aggressive and you’re in an area likely to be attacked, you’re best off just leaving. Move somewhere safer for a few days/weeks/forever. No need to give the rioters another shotgun to use on someone else when they take it from you.
You might consider a few cans of serious pepper spray—this is harder to misuse or accidentally kill a neighbor in the middle of the night, and easier to use correctly if necessary (in that there’s less cognitive load about whether it’s justified, and that it won’t go much beyond your target). Get probably 3-5. Use at least one as practice—go outside and hose down a tree, survive the blowback and fumes, and get used to the spray pattern.
~zero. But buy a shotgun just in case riots (which are more than possible—they’re ongoing) get aggressive.
I’m generally in favor of near-unrestricted firearm ownership. If you’re going to learn, train, practice, and treat it as a hobby, that’s awesome, and may have some self-defense side-effects. But I strongly advise that one does not buy a shotgun (or any other firearm) primarily for this possibility. If you’re not pretty comfortable with it, it’s likely to do far more harm than good in a stress situation.
If the riots get aggressive and you’re in an area likely to be attacked, you’re best off just leaving. Move somewhere safer for a few days/weeks/forever. No need to give the rioters another shotgun to use on someone else when they take it from you.
You might consider a few cans of serious pepper spray—this is harder to misuse or accidentally kill a neighbor in the middle of the night, and easier to use correctly if necessary (in that there’s less cognitive load about whether it’s justified, and that it won’t go much beyond your target). Get probably 3-5. Use at least one as practice—go outside and hose down a tree, survive the blowback and fumes, and get used to the spray pattern.