Can you legally protect your home with a firearm?

this is a complicated issue. technically yes, however there are certain rules. first of all, it depends on where you live (state, municipality, country) as firearm laws change frequently. you are able to use a firearm to scare an intruder (usually the presence of a firearm and loud shouting is enough to scare away most intruders). as far as actually shooting the person, you can not shoot an individual in a vital area that would result in death, aim for non-lethal takedown. some areas will uphold the mindset that you are legally able to shoot an intruder if they threaten you and you honestly feel as if your life or other lives were in danger. however, the opposite can also happen, in which either the intruder or court can turn around and sue YOU for firing on an individual.

in short, use common sense and only actually fire at an individual if they have a weapon aimed at you. as i stated above, the presence of a firearm is usually enough to scare away 99% of intruders.