Indeed firearms are good protection. We live in the country side with lots of open wilderness around.
My dad always had his 357 magnum close at hand. Any time something fishy was going around (dogs barking, etc) he'd fire a few shots and...silence for the rest of the night.
We only once got robbed. After all the neighbors (occasional thieves) heard a few gunshots, we never ever got anything else stolen. So far 14 years later it's still OK.
This can't be stressed enough; you have to be extremely careful with firearms. It's not the first time somebody shot down a relative, friend or parent thinking it was a burglar.
My dad (RIP) always taught me to be careful and NEVER point a gun at somebody, whether unloaded or not.
After he passed away I put all firearms away. So my now inherited .357 Magnum, Ruger .22 pistol & .38 Smith & Wesson are all asleep in the closet.
We had a Remington .308 rifle that got sold very cheap.
I like firearms for target practice
You have to be very prepared & decided to shoot at somebody (not my case), so be very careful before you pull the trigger.
Warrior