Best weapon for home defense?

[Rumely]

I have never owned a firearm, so confess the limited scope of my knowledge of them. I have considered purchasing one for home defense now and then, and have been wondering what type would be best suited for that purpose. Also, would a weapon for [b]personal[b] defense be the same or different from a home defense weapon? Is the best weapon a firearm at all? Baseball bat? Really big knife? Really big dog? Land mine? Bat signal? Help me out, here.

[mcswan]

Ruger 357 Magnum http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg210-e.htm