Tom,
A good little shotgun with number 4 buckshot will do a lot to stop any problems with thugs and beats hell out of a knife. Especially if it's gonna be a gunfight. As the book says;
"The # 4 BUCK was developed to overcome the shortcomings of conventional buck shot ammunition. The projectile is designed to limit over penetration while producing effective wound channels in soft targets, permitting the use of shotguns in close urban environments. i.e. apartment complexes by forced entry teams."

It is like a mini claymore with more than 30 balls of 24 caliber. it will stop any human on the planet at close range. Aim for the upper chest and if he's wearing a bullet proof vest the scatter pattern will still give a fair number of head wounds. I keep a 20 inch double barrel 12 gage loaded with 2 of the little buggers near my bed, and I back that up with a 45 automatic. Home invasions are becoming a dangerous business here in Texas as you may have read. A cuple of thugs have been killed recently and a Granny nailed one with a bad wound when he got into her house during a police chase. It is amazing what an armed public has done to restore civil order and manners here in Texas.
All Hail the 2nd ammendment and liberty!
BT