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Don’t be silly... at 6-12 yards a shotgun can easily spread 6-8 inches.
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First, that seems a little extreme for most self-defense shotgun loads. I've shot Federal personal defense 00 buck loads out of a 6" barrel Mossberg AOW that still spread less than 2 inches at 5 yards or so. Second, 12 yards is a lot farther than most inside-the-house encounters are probably going to take place. With most self-defense shotgun loads at most self-defense ranges, the pattern is going to be a couple of inches at most.
Even if you had a shotgun load that managed to spread 6-8 inches inside your house, it's still so easy to aim an AR that it would be a moot point. I can hit center-mass all day at 15 yards even with an AR that has no sights. Throw in a red dot and it's even easier.
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Grabbing a AR instead of the shotgun sitting right next to it to confront a home intruder is just...
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Really? C'mon. It's OK if you prefer a shotgun over an AR for home defense, but criticizing people who prefer an AR is a little ridiculous.
In my opinion, a 5.56mm AR-15 is a superior home-defense weapon to a shotgun. A shotgun's recoil can be difficult for some people, especially smaller, newer shooters, whereas the AR-15 has barely more recoil than a .22. Also, most AR-15s are shorter than most shotguns and much easier to use one-handed. Pump shotguns can be cumbersome and require two hands, and semi-autos aren't nearly as reliable as an AR-15; and unless the shooter is extremely consistant, even a pump is less reliable than an AR. And I can put 2 or 3 rounds center mass as fast as I can hit just once with a shotgun, making the AR potentially more effective in the same amount of time. And contrary to popular belief, you do need to aim with a shotgun; like I already said, at home defense ranges the blast is only going to spread a few inches. Also, an AR is going to have a much higher magazine capacity and will be much faster to reload. In addition, light plastic-tipped .223 varmint rounds will be extremely effective, will also punch through soft body armor if your attacker happens to be wearing it, but will at the same time penetrate far less through walls than buckshot, meaning you're less likely to kill your neighbors or family members in another room.
There's nothing wrong with using a shotgun for home defense, but I think an AR-15 is easier to use, more effective (especially against multiple attackers and people wearing body armor), and also safer for innocent bystanders because of less penetration through walls. (And just a disclaimer here: Last time I mentioned a .223 penetrating body armor I was accused of being a criminal. I'm referring to body armor worn by criminals, something that is rare but it does occur.)
The "you don't need to aim a shotgun" myth and the "an AR-15 will over penetrate" myth are both just that: Myths.