Rats!!

[MaryN]

O.K., you guys, I need some recommendations. I have started to notice an incursion of rats recently. Obviously we have them anyway - we live in the country - but these things are getting a bit too big for their boots. One nearly ran over my feet yesterday and that is too close for comfort. We can't really bait - I don't want to risk pets and other innocent wildlife, and OH is talking about shooting the blasted things - for that we need some sort of firearm. I know nothing about firearms, but I am sure some of you have a few recommendations. Are there online sites for comparison, and what would a good price be? You know, all the usual stuff. All info gratefully received. We don't want to pay a fortune, but I don't have any comparisons to fall back on.