Handguns only work after they’re too close. You want a rifle, too. Handguns have their place in that they are concealable, lighter, “last ditch” alongside a rifle
And you want it now. The best time to get a firearm is before you need a firearm. You need to learn how to operate it safely, field strip it, clean it, manage clearing jams. And you need to practice; you will want to send hundreds of rounds through it so that you know how it aims and behaves, and so you can have some confidence that you’re going to hit what you aim at. You’ll want to find out what ammo your gun “doesn’t like,” and you’ll be spending a bit of money on ammo, cleaning supplies, range case, holster (for a handgun), hearing and eye protection, maybe even tools if you need to fix something.
You can’t practice enough, and you can’t practice at all without a gun. Unfortunately, there are a good number of shops/ranges that feel real skeevy, in a “we cater to fascists” way. I’m lucky to have a clean, well-lighted chain store in my area. Find a place like that.
While you’re 100% right about the drones,
Handguns only work after they’re too close. You want a rifle, too. Handguns have their place in that they are concealable, lighter, “last ditch” alongside a rifle
And you want it now. The best time to get a firearm is before you need a firearm. You need to learn how to operate it safely, field strip it, clean it, manage clearing jams. And you need to practice; you will want to send hundreds of rounds through it so that you know how it aims and behaves, and so you can have some confidence that you’re going to hit what you aim at. You’ll want to find out what ammo your gun “doesn’t like,” and you’ll be spending a bit of money on ammo, cleaning supplies, range case, holster (for a handgun), hearing and eye protection, maybe even tools if you need to fix something.
You can’t practice enough, and you can’t practice at all without a gun. Unfortunately, there are a good number of shops/ranges that feel real skeevy, in a “we cater to fascists” way. I’m lucky to have a clean, well-lighted chain store in my area. Find a place like that.