I lost my father last week, and naturaly my mom is afraid of being alone.My question is would it be best to buy my mom a firearm for protection or a home security system.She is not very familiar with firearms,and my brother and i told her we would be happy to teach her.I dont know much about security sytems.I would appreciate any help.Thanks

Unless she is willing to train and practice do not buy her a gun !!A gun is not a magic wand, it will not save you on it's own !! Start with a security system .Locked doors and windows are of course where you start.

I would say both if you can, but....
If she is afraid of guns, or won't learn to use one, that is probably not a good idea.
On another note if she is willing/able, I have read that for people that don't use guns that much, or not very good with them etc., that a small .410 shotgun with birdshot for the home is an option. It won't penetrate walls etc., and you don't need to be exactly a crack shot; but it will scare the hell out of an intruder...
Take care.

Is a nice, cuddly, BIG, LOUD, dog an option? Something a bit territorial? FWIW, Dutch.

A security system and a dog, a firearm in the hands of a scared, inexperienced person will only lead to more trouble.
Have her enroll in a self defense course, it might help her self confidence.

First of all, let me extend my sympathies for your loss. I remember losing my dad. It's devastating.

Take a deep breath and don't make any major, life changing decisions. You're not in a position to make major decisions. Give it some time. (Try to give it some time . . . )

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OK, my mom is 82, living alone. We lost dad 20 yrs ago.

Mom is not in a "home invasion" neighborhood. That's one factor in deciding what "needs" to be done about "security.

Mom has locks on the doors, vigilant neighbors, good police. We've groomed the yard so there's no "cover" for a spook.

It'd be a bad idea to give my mom a gun. She's not interested in learning to use one. And she'd not use it anyway.

Mostly, she's in a safe neighborhood in a safe house. Neighborhood Watch works, cell phones, alarms, removing "cover" and hiding spots.

The other option is to get word out that the neighors are armed and ready to use their guns. That's not too difficult. A couple of "Neighborhood Watch" meetings, and word gets out that the neighborhood is armed and defended.

For defense, I'd never buy nor sell a gun to someone who doesn't know what they want in a firearm and why.

"It's not a magic wand." -- Truer words are hard to come by.