Honestly, it's not as bad as you think, most of the time. Most larger gun stores aren't going to have employees that go off on political shit. If you go to a chain store, like a Cabella's/Bass Pro Shops, employees are usually told to avoid any political shit. If you go into a small store in a small town, then yeah, it's probably going to be pretty bad. If you're an obviously marginalized person (non-white, esp. younger and in a non-white-mainstream subculture, LGBTQ+, obviously non-Christian, etc.), then you're probably going to have a less-than-optimal experience. If you're a woman, you're probably going to have male employees trying to convince you to buy tiny pocket guns or things in bright colors.

If you aren't already familiar with guns, I would recommend taking a basic intro class at a store in a larger city. Assuming that you're talking about a carry gun, 99% of the time the correct firearm is going to be a Glock 19 MOS with a good red dot sight, like a Holosun EPS or 509-series, or the Lead and Steel 'Pandora' PB-3. I've heard really positive things about the Phlster Enigma holsters, but haven't had a chance to get one yet. I'd also strongly suggest spending a lot of time in dry-fire exercises, and I'd suggest taking up IDPA competitions as well; the best gun in the world isn't going to help if you don't actually train with it.

Please remember: a firearm is not a magic talisman, any more than a fire extinguisher is. Simply having it doesn't help; you need to carry it regularly, and you need to know how to use it.

As other people have said, please consider getting a good locking container for your firearm if you have children around, roommates, or the like. What you ideally want is something that's certified with the Underwriters Lab (UL) as a 'residential security container' (I think that's UL 1037; other UL standards you might see are for fire resistance). Most gun "safes" do not meet the requirements of insurance companies to be considered burglary resistant; a true burglary-resistant gun safe will easily cost >$5k. (By which I mean a safe that's rated as TL-15, TL-30X6, TRTL-30X6, etc.) Mechanical locks--esp. Sargent & Greenleaf--are more reliable than electronic locks, but slower to open.