Unarmed fighting is no match for armed fighting. When arming oneself you should be armed with tools that are purpose built for this task. Improvised weapons are better than nothing, but actual weapons are what you really want.

Martial artists that are trained in the use of ancient improvised peasant tools can certainly be effective, but remember that those tools were pressed into the role of weapons because actual weapons were denied to them. The effective fighters in history were not burdened with a bunch of dogma about purity of the art. Musashi believed that a real warrior should be an expert in all weapons and I personally believe that if the firearms of his time were more like modern weapons he wouldn't have focused so much on swordsmanship.

As a private citizen first and foremost you need a handgun. The handgun is the primary personal weapon system. It is the tool that is the most practical to have on hand when an emergency arises. It is not the perfect tool for all jobs.

Your handgun should be chambered in a service caliber. Tiny small caliber guns have their proponents as do the large bore magnum revolvers. The first gun you need is the one that you can shoot accurately, quickly, and has enough ballistic performance to be a fight stopper.

You need a pocket knife. It doesn't have to be huge, camouflage, or endorsed by the SEALS. It does have to be sharp, one hand opening, and with a pocket clip. Fixed bladed knives have many advantages but the jurisdictional restrictions make them prohibited items in many locations. There is not a choice between a knife or a gun, a knife is a better tool for some circumstances and has some capabilities that firearm does not have. I intend to bring a knife (and a gun, and some buddies) to a gunfight.

You need a flashlight. At least the half of the time the world is in a "condition of limited visibility." You cannot shoot what you cannot see, and until you can see it you might be able to determine if you need to shoot it.

You need some less-lethal force capability. Pepper spray and/or Unarmed skills are probably the best solutions here. There are a lot of situations that you cannot legally apply deadly force, but somebody is probably going to need to experience some pain or injury.

Finally if you have those bases covered you need a home defense rifle. Short of some kind of home invasion, the actual role of the rifle is for the situations where you and your neighbors are on your own. Natural disasters and civil unrest create situations where people are going to have to fend for themselves. You home defense rifle should be an "assault rifle" , "EBR", or otherwise as close to a military weapon as you can get.