As a guy who owns rifles and has way too many magazines (yes, you can have too many), I probably shouldn't be the one talking, but the type of situation that would require a rifle is really far-fetched. A rifle is a long distance weapon and/or numerous opponents weapon. So we are talking about 100+ yards and 5+ BG. Can you imagine a situation where you could “legally” shoot a bunch of people at 150 yards? Think about it.
A Pistol is a weapon of convience. A pistol is selected when a rifle is inconvient due to its size, bulk or attention.
A rifle or shotgun is a weapon of choice in most situations. They are far more powerful than pistols and generally easier to follow-up with due to their larger size and weight. As the author of the article points out, rifles offer an advantage over most shotguns because they have higher magazine capacity.
In peaceful times, if I hear a noise in the house I can't identify, I will sweep the house while carrying a shotgun because the expectations are 2-3 intruders at most and 5 shotgun shells should be sufficient.
If there are riots breaking out in the area, the 5 shell capacity of my shotgun might not be enough and I'd be more likely to reach for an AR-10 or 15, not because I need their longer range, but because I want their higher capacity.
The age old saying, "The purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to your rifle"