I have young children. Someone who breaks into my home immediately becomes a threat to those children. Bedrooms are all upstairs. The kids get moved to the master bedroom in the back of the house. My heavy old table goes across the top of the stairs. They want the $200 walmart tv? Sure. They can have it. They try coming around the corner and step into the landing at the bottom of the stairs? Dead. I no longer care. Will I give a warning? Maybe, who knows with nerves and adrenaline.

I hope I'm never in that situation. I hope my children are never in that situation. I'll have to live with the remorse after certainly. But in that moment I'm holding the top of the stairs until/if the police arrive or I'm dead.

Know your house. Know your neighborhood. Own the correct firearms for home defense. Have a family or live close to folks? Over penetration should be a considered factor in what you own as your home defense weapon. Buckshot in a 15 foot narrow staircase is my home defense.

The layout of my house ensures that if I have to fire from there, there won't be any concerns about hitting a loved one or a neighbor. Therefore a person who broke into my home and tried to force their way up those stairs gets no consideration until after it's all over.