If somebody decided to try and kick my door in I'd be in a tough situation that would require me to run to the back of our house, unlock the safe in record time and load the shotgun. I figure every second counts in a potentially life threatening scenario so I want to be prepared.
You see it for what it is - a gun in the safe isn't going to help. An unloaded gun isn't going to help. And having to run to the back of the house is going to waste time needed to expeditiously address the problem. It's a no win situation.
First suggestion was wear the gun all the time at home. That means handgun, nobody does housework, watches TV, or grilles with a shotgun on a leash. So, the choice of weapon is important. Where you put it if it's not on your body is, too. Hence the suggestion to have more than one, and definitely in various places around the house. A bit of searching on forums will list just about anywhere possible - at the door, at the entrance to the room, down the hall, and definitely in wherever you designate the safe room.
There's also the issue of why someone would break down the door. Home burglaries are done with a bit more stealth, exactly why people keep guns in safes - to keep the perps from bothering. A safe is hard to miss, they get the message. And since the majority of home gun thefts are cased ahead of time, they get to see where the safe is and watch the owner open it. The #1 rule is never show off your guns, the safe location, or let your "friends and neighbors" bring someone over to show off your guns. Odds are, that guy isn't really a good friend - he's just casing you out.
Second and third rule, don't steal drugs from a dealer, or his girlfriend. The two most common reasons for home invasion are drugs and women. In fact, the latest shooting locally was an estranged husband shooting his wife's new boyfriend right in front of the movie theater. Emptied the gun and didn't even try to get away. Don't be that guy.
There are good reasons to expect it, tho, cop, Highway Patrol, officer of the court, etc. People get upset when they are adjudicated and have to serve time.
Another issue is the layout and landscaping around the home, too. If you are shielded from view by shrubbery and set back from the road, then reconsider whether that's helping. It's usually a better choice for a perpetrator, serial killers like the cover and concealment from your neighbors. Makes their fun last longer. Another issue is how did they get all the way to your front door without making a sound - set up a driveway alarm, it's common in rural areas to have one if a car comes down your lane.
Address the specific issues in the situation, and you find that maybe a shotgun in safe isn't what you need. That money could go a long way to improving home security and prevent the bad guys thinking it would be profitable.
Haven't even started on what kinds of doors to have installed and how to anchor them. Suffice it to say that if the lumberyard or big box sells it, it's crap for security. Hence, how easy it is to kick down the door. And if so, can they just smash a window?
