Your home is your safe space, and it must be protected with the best gear out there. A restraining order, a can of pepper spray or a knife won’t be enough to save you and your family from a determined and armed home intruder. To properly defend yourself, you will need a firearm. Here are three of the best guns for self- and home protection. (h/t to DoomsdayMoose.com)

.22 caliber handgun

A .22 caliber handgun refers to either a pistol or a revolver that fires the .22 Long Rifle (.22 LR) cartridge. While it’s a small caliber, it’s perfect for home protection. The .22 LR is compact, affordable and one of the most common types of calibers out there. Any gun that chambers a .22 caliber round will be easy to shoot – it’ll have a light recoil and it won’t make a lot of noise. This makes the .22 LR a great practice round for when you have to work on your shooting fundamentals. If you’re more comfortable with firearms, .22 caliber handguns are also great for everyday carry, because many handguns that chamber this round are pretty small.

The Ruger Standard Model, or the Ruger Mk I pistol, is a great handgun that chambers the .22 LR. The Mk I’s magazine holds nine rounds and is very reliable.

9mm pistol

For a little more stopping power, a 9mm pistol is perfect for your home defense needs. The 9mm is a fairly cheap and readily available pistol cartridge, and most 9mm pistols can load plenty of rounds. An experienced shooter will be able to deal with the moderate recoil of 9mm pistols. The average pistol that holds this caliber contains around 15 rounds per magazine. Holsters, pouches and other accessories for 9mm pistols are also very accessible.

Police forces all over the U.S. are big fans of the 9mm cartridge because of its reliability, longevity and the availability of different 9mm pistols on the market. Glock, Beretta, S&W, Springfield and Taurus are known for their relatively cheap and high-quality 9mm pistols. (Related: 9 secrets from a veteran cop to protect your home from burglars.)

Pump shotgun

Many home defense experts recommend the venerable 12- or 20-gauge pump shotgun. Both are devastating to home invaders at close range. As long as you can handle the heavy recoil, you won’t need to do a lot of aiming, especially if you use a buckshot. Pointing at the general direction of the intruder and pulling the trigger may be enough for the pump shotgun to do its job. For less experienced folks, a 20-gauge pump shotgun can still pack a deadly shot with less recoil.

The pump-action shotgun is reliable, especially if you take the time to master it, and it can be deadly accurate, especially in the close quarters of your home. Furthermore, 12- or 20-gauge buckshot cartridges are relatively inexpensive. The Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500 are great pump-action shotguns that have been around for decades. They are both sturdy, affordable and reliable – as witnessed by their long track record of service in the armed forces of many countries. You can also add a variety of different accessories to your pump shotguns, such as slings, sidesaddles, extra shell carriers and weapon lights.

Choosing the best home defense firearm depends on a lot of factors not included in this article such as personal finances, your prior experience with firearms, as well as how much danger you believe you’re in. For novices, a .22 LR handgun may be enough. For people expecting to get into a firefight, a 12- or 20-gauge pump shotgun may be your best option. What you must always remember is that preparing now is better than later, so consider getting a firearm that chambers one of these cartridges.

For more information on the different kinds of guns you should carry around with you when SHTF, head over to Guns.news.

Sources include:

DoomsdayMoose.com

AmmoLand.com

SurvivalSullivan.com

USACarry.com

Tactical-Life.com

PoliceMag.com

SurvivalCache.com