Then go for a 12 gauge shotgun with bird shot. Perfect up to 10 meters, and yes, it can and does kill, even with less-than-perfect shot placement. At less than five meters, you have the same effect as a huge Glaser safety slug that upon impact, transforms from a solid bullet into a frangible one, for a fraction of the cost of that new-fangled bullet and it's legal everywhere where smooth-bore shotguns are legal (which might make it California, Ohio and New Jersey-legal).
However, there's not much over-penetration, if any. A brick wall will stop the pellets, and at more than 10m, even a wooden door might.
And most criminals, upon hearing a shotgun being racked WILL rethink their idea to burglarize your home. And if you're against taking life, just do what Marsellus Wallace did in Pulp Fiction on Zed.