Does NJ require a permit to own a shotgun? Couldn't she have purchased a shotgun for self defense while waiting for her handgun permit? what if she had gotten a handgun the day she applied, do you really think she would have been proficient with it at the time of the attack? a shot gun would still have been her better option until she had time to becoem trained in using the weapon.
But let's it take a step further. In the most anti-2A states, even if she had a permit the day she applied, her ex could have just followed her to a restaurant serving beer, or a medical facility, or a church where she would not be able to possess any firearm - handgun or shotgun.
Ya all gotta pick better poster girls. This one fails.