The sound of chambering a round in a 12 ga shotgun has a profound effect on any idiot.

If the perps are in your house and you drive up, don't go in the house. Call the cops. Yes they can get away as in the original post, but you're alive and not worrying about whether or not they are armed.

If you are sleeping, with your trusty 12 ga no more than 3 feet away, and the perps enter and awake you, chamber a round. If it gets to the unfortunate point of having to use the gun, d33zy is right, use something that won't kill your neighbor. I keep my .44 mag with .44 special loads, they'll stop in the perps torso and not kill Junior next door. And shoot to kill, or they'll sue you in America...

Rob's comment about allowed to shoot them in the back in TX, are you referring to one of the first CCW deaths a few years ago? A guy coming back to his vehicle in Austin saw a guy breaking in. He chased him for three blocks and shot him in the back. The perp died, and the CCW guy went to prison, and rightfully so IMO....