I know I'm new here, but I felt like chiming in.
One thing I didn't see mentioned was coming up with some kind of plan, in case of a break in. I know that Murphy's law is always present, but it doesn't hurt to pick a place in your house that puts you between your family and the bad guy. That way you aren't moving through the house at night, and possibly letting the bad guy disarm you. I have a rather long hallway in my house that leads to the bedrooms. Unless someone breaks in through the bedroom windows, I know I can get some cover in my bedroom doorway, and hopefully keep them at bay until the police arrive. Like everyone else, I hope I am never in that situation, but there is no way in **** I'll let anything happen to my wife or kids.
I would hope that we would all have a cool enough head to consider what is behind the bad guy before we fire. Often times the sound of a shotgun is deterrent enough. If you have such a small house that your family is always in your line of fire, then maybe you should consider a taser, or maybe some bean bag rounds.
