If you know rifles and shotguns are more powerful and easier to shoot I don't understand what you are advocating. Are you saying we should make it harder and use handguns as a matter of policy? There was a thread with a man defending his home with a shotgun from two armed men. Reading that I don't think he would have made it with just a handgun as it was he fired 4 rounds and never missed and was wounded in the fight. My policy is to make it easier for myself in general and when my life is at risk in particular. Its not a sport.
I think handguns are more AVAILABLE 24/7 than a longgun. Long gun can't, realistically, be carried concealed. So if you get the more powerful long gun for home defense you will still need to get handgun for outside the home.
Do you mind posting link to the thread you mentioned?
I think the software matters more than the hardware, look at my signature line.
What I'm trying to get at is self defense and best way to allocate limited resources for hardware (guns, knifes, lights, pepperspray) and software (training, practice) to maximize survival.
The thread you mentioned, was the defender using cover, concealment, & lighting to his advantage? Or was he trying to maneuver against them?
I realize there are more people on this forum that are into guns because they like them, than there are that simply use them as tools. I am focused on self defense side of things.
I am trying to look at non LEO survival sort of they way Officer survival is done. But non LEO don't have exact same parameters, so I suspect some of the detailed answers should be different. LEO at least some times go towards trouble, so long arms really do clearly make sense.
I don't think I am being off the wall here, Jeff Cooper talked about the "Role of the Five" in one of his books.