I use either my Mossberg Model 500 12 ga. pump-action, pistol-gripped, alley-sweeper;
or my Colt M1911 Government Model .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol for protection.
Failing that, my wife uses her backup Ruger SR9 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
However, none of this worked when someone recently stole the window air conditioner from our house in Dayton, Ohio, because we are currently living in a low-crime neighborhood in Venice, Florida.