First: if you have never fired a gun, find a friend who has one and ask them to take you to a range. If none of your friends have one, find a local range that offers rentals, call and ask them if they’d help out a couple first timers; bring a friend.

Confident person’s first time gun buying guide: Gun stores want to sell guns. Gun nuts want more people to have guns. They may look at you like you have two heads for wearing a mask into the store, but they’re probably pretty happy to help. Walk in, ogle guns; when someone notes your presence and asks if they can help: “Yeah, it’s starting to feel like I should probably own a gun. Help me figure out what I should by”. If they immediately try to charge you $300 for either a hi-point or a heritage rough rider revolver, leave and find another store. If they asks why you want one, be fairly honest, “self defense, my neighborhood’s getting sketchy”; “target shooting, I guess, and just to have one”; if you want to get a chud gun store owner all hot and bothered and hear their worst takes “a free man needs to reason to exercise his rights”. But seriously they’re generally pretty thrilled to see someone becoming a new gun owner.

General brick-and-mortar store gun buying guide for the totally socially anxious: Open door. Walk in. Ogle guns. Engage in specific gun choosing behavior (specified below). Say “I love it, how much?” Listen, frown. Say “Cash discount?” If so, hand over dollars. If not, hand over credit card (assuming you’ve comparison shopped a bit and the price is within $100 of what you’re seeing online). You’ll have to fill out some paperwork, or provide proof of training or even get a license first depending on the state (only really blue states generally). If it’s a license state, do that before you go to the store. In some states, you’ll leave with the gun. In others, they’ll hold the gun for you for a period required by law, then you’ll come back in and get it.

Specific gun choosing behavior: Semiautomatic Handguns - Glock 19 is the general recommendation: Say “can I see that Glock?” about the Glock (any Glock, there will be a Glock). Ask if you can dry fire it. Rack slide a few times, looking in chamber to make sure it’s empty (it damn well better be). Aim at floor away from people, pull trigger. If you like the way that trigger feels, like if it feels the way you want a gun trigger to feel, buy a Glock 19. Glock identification markings. If you are currently holding the 19, proceed with purchase instructions. If not, ask “do you have a 19? I keep hearing that everyone should own a Glock 19.” If not, any double stack 9mm Glock will do.

Rifles - scary black gun AR-15:
Gesture at ARs on the wall, ask what manufacturers they have available. Names that will hurt your wallet, but be awesome: Colt, Wilson combat, LWRC, Daniel defense; names to avoid: bear Creek/bca. Cheap and good enough: Anderson, PSA, Aero. Any others, “I haven’t heard of X, they good to go?” If so, point at one you like and ask to hold it (things to learn about in advance and care about at this point are mostly caliber (5.56/.223/.223 Wylde are the way to go), free-floating-handguard, A2 sights vs low profile gas block, barrel length and profile, other things you can change cheaply without any real tools). Pop the stock all the way out and all the way in find the most comfortable length on your shoulder. Ask if you can dry fire it. If so, grab the charging handle (learn what this is), pull back, look in open chamber to verify no ammo, let go of charging handle. It’ll snap forward. Flip the safety to vertical (unsafe). Aim away from people, at floor somewhere, pull trigger. Proceed with purchase instructions.

Rimfire rifle - Ruger 10/22: Point at 10/22 in the wall rack. Ask if that’s a 10/22. If yes, say “Perfect! Glad you had one in stock. I’ll take it. Do you have any bricks of 22?” Buy ammo and gun. Leave with ammo and gun. Be happy you made an excellent decision.

If you have questions about anything specific, feel free to DM me. We can talk prices or preferences or anything. Love guns.