Thanks, my FRiend.
Just happened to catch the latest "Terminator" movie. There's a scene in the movie where Arnold opens up a room loaded stem to stern with every kind of weapon/firearm you could imagine.
He says, "I've calculated a 76% possibility that society is going to breakdown".
PS: Linda Hamilton looks like a dried up prune. Make-up I'm sure.
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@DCPatriot If you are REALLY telling the truth about being an adult that is unfamiliar with firearms (I got my first gun,a 12 gauge double barrel,when I was 8),follow the KISS program. Keep It Simple,Stupid!
Avoid any handgun that isn't a revolver. When it comes to revolvers,ONLY consider a 357 Magnum with a 6 inch barrelWhen it comes to rifles,start out with a lever-action 30/30. Preferably a Marlin 336 Forget about scopes. You ain't a sniper,and you won't be taking 200 yard shots. Plus,there is not one single area in the nation or Canada where you won't be able to easily buy ammo.
Mostly practice "point and shoot". Bullseye shooting is handy for learning how close the gun actually shoots at distances up to 25 yards or so,and you won't be shooting a handgun any further than that unless you like giving your position away and love running out of ammo.
Practice both "point and shoot" with the rifle. Point and shoot at less than 25 yards,and aiming at longer distances. Try all weights of bullets in your 30/30 until you find out which ammo brand and which weight bullet your particular rifle "likes" the most. ANY weight 30/30 bullet will do for shooting people,so let your rifle tell you which one it likes best.
Get to know both the rifle and the revolver well,and once you are comfortable and knowledgeable about shooting,you can THEN think about "upgrading" (spending more money on fancy stuff to impress your friends with how cool you are and how much disposable income you have) to larger calibers and handguns with bells and whistles.
Last,and most certainly not least,is a good 12 gauge shotgun. Since you are a newbie,apply the KISS philosophy and buy a double barrel. Preferably one with 18 inch barrels. It's ok if you get a good deal on one with 30 inch barrels to cut them down to 18 inches,but you owe it to yourself to check and make sure the name "Purdey","LC Smith",etc,etc,etc isn't stamped on the gun anywhere before you break out the hacksaw. If unsure,ALWAYS ask someone familiar with shotguns before cutting.
NOTHING beats a cut down 12 gauge double when it comes to convincing bad guys their mama's are calling them home.
Still,a pump or semi-auto shotgun is a better weapon simply because it has more shots. Once you convince yourself that guns don't have a mind of their own and won't just shoot you in your sleep,look for a good 12 gauge pump (NOTHING beats a Ithaca Model 37!) or a auto-loader by pretty much anybody. If/when you buy an auto-loader make sure you you buy one with a full choke barrel,as well as the short 18 inch "slug barrel". You can swap barrels in minutes,and use it to hunt birds or rabbits if need be. Put the short barrel back on and hunt deer or bear.
If you buy a semi-auto or a pump gun,LOAD THE DAMN THING AND LEAVE IT ALONE AFTER PUTTING THE SAFETY IN THE ON POSITION!
It will NOT unload itself,and it will NOT take it's own safety off and shoot you or someone else,so there is NO FREAKING NEED TO KEEP FUMBLING WITH THE DAMN THING! Trust me on this.
If your money is tight,pawn shops can be a good place to buy used guns,most of which have spent most of their lives in a gun rack or a drawer. LOTS of used pawn shop guns look to have never been fired.
If,5 years from now you have it in your truck or car and get stopped by the police for some reason,and they discover the gun is stolen,you will have a receipt to prove when and where you bought it. THIS is the big charm to buying used guns at pawn shops,IMHO.
BTW,I once bought a WW-2 Remington-Rand 1911A1 in excellent original condition from a friend,and found out several months later he had reported it stolen and collected the insurance money. I now have a firm,unwavering policy of immediately pawning ANY used guy I buy from ANYONE because the police are always running numbers checks on used firearms at pawn shops. Better to find out now when you can track the bastard down and get your money back,than to have it happen months or years later,and lose both your money AND the gun,because you can believe the police WILL confiscate the gun and not give you one thin dime for it. at