If I may weigh in on this, I've considered this many times over many years. Next to my bed is the pistol I carried that day; either 9mm or .45 ACP. If I really need to be inconspicuous I carry the .380 but switch to a more substantial round upon arriving home. I consider rifles and shotguns to be too long to be handy inside the house.
If I were to find myself in a position where I needed a rifle, I'd load the AR M4gery (this would have to be SHTF time) before I loaded the 995 (unless it's zombies--my 995 is my designated zombie rifle [j/k]), these are the only rifles I would think would be short and handy enough for home defense. If I load a shotgun it would be #4 buck in the '97 Winchester pump with the short barrel.
Next up, which ammo do you choose for the handgun? Now we can write another encyclopedia. FYI the 9 and .45 are hollow points. The .223 is milspec and would be my last choice as a good home defense round.
What it boils down to is that I prefer handguns for home defense. YMMV :wink: