I'm a handgun person at heart, but in this situation, I'd go with the shotgun.
I'm going to wait 'til they're all on the stairs so they're nicely lined up with nowhere to run. The first SOB to peek over the top of the stairs is going to get a load of 00 buck right through the bridge of his nose to start the party. I'll probably get 2 more shots off before they can react at all. Then mop up what's left.
I'm holding my ground, not going downstairs after them. Call 911 on the cell phone and let the cops fix what's downstairs. They chose to get underpaid to be shot at, not me.
