i recommend buying a 22lr for plinking at the range and a pump shotgun for home defense type of thing. if you wait for the right deal, you can get a shotgun with a short barrel (home defense) and long barrel (skeet skeet skeet shooting). normally, after you've purchased your first gun, most people generally go insane with lust and start buying handfuls of them. I think I purchased something like 5 guns within the first 6 months after buying my first handgun (walther P99, which I still have and love the most). it's the only way to achieve yellow belt in mall ninjutsu.