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I used to be a gun salesman and have put more rounds downrange than 99% of gun owners.

Training is absolutely essential, and very, very expensive. Not the classes themselves - you can do just a few classes and learn what you need to get by.

It's the ammo. One of the reasons I hate cheapo $100-$200 guns is because they encourage people to buy guns who can't afford to train with them. Buying cheap, bulk training 9mm ammo you're looking at about $200/case, or 20 cents a round. While 1,000 bulle5s sounds like a lot, it goes way faster than you think.

My Canik has 20 round mags, so that's $4 every time I reload the gun.

And you really should train with defensive rounds as well to make sure they cycle and that you can handle the different recoil.

The difference with defensive ammo (usually hollow-points) is that it expands upon impact and dumps its energy into the target, which makes it way, way more effective. But more importantly, it's less likely to kill the neighbor because it doesn't penetrate the target and 4 walls.

The thing is, defensive ammo costs more than a dollar every time you pull the trigger.

Between a gun, holster (essential piece of safety gear that should be mandatory), range membership, safe storage, lessons, ammunition, maintenance supplies, etc, a new shooter shouldn't be thinking about the cost of the $500 handguns, but the $5,000 cost of responsible ownership and training that comes with it.

And then there's the rest of it.

Are you in a good head space to be a gun owner? Buying one because you're stressed and afraid isn't a great sign.

Are there children in the house or do they visit regularly? I grew up with guns in the house, but since a gun in the house is more dangerous for children than a potential burglar, my Dad didn't keep ammunition in the house. If I have children visiting, all my guns are in the safe (most are usually, but my carry gun usually isn't unless I leave it at the house) and I move all the ammo to my van.

Do you have the right disposition to own a gun for self-defense? If you're too willing to use a gun that's a bad sign, but at the same time if you're too reluctant to use one it's more likely to be used against you.

For most people, I don't think a defensive firearm makes sense - especially handguns. Rifles are easier to learn, but they're unweildy indoors. Unless you're hunting, target shooting, or going into combat they don't make much sense. An AR for home defense is just a silly idea. They're big, loud, hard to deploy in tight quarters, and have way too much penetration. I love mine, but they're for shooting at the range and for shooting wild hogs.