A couple people had expressed interest in this topic, and I have a bit of extra time for a couple days, so here goes:
Bona fides: I am a former infantry NCO and sniper, hunter, competitive shooter, reloader, hobby gunsmith, sometimes firearms trainer and currently work in a gun shop, mostly on the paperwork/compliance side. Back in the day, was a qualified expert with every standard small arm in the US inventory circa 2003 (M2, 4, 9, 16, 19, 249, 240B, 21, 24, 82 etc.), and today hang around the 75th percentile of USPSA classifications. I've shot Cap-and-Ball, Trap and Sporting Clays badly; Bullseye and PRS somewhat better and IDPA/USPSA/UML/Two-gun with some local success. Been active in the 2A community since the mid-90s, got my first instructor cert in high school, and have held a CPL for almost twenty years now.
I certainly don't claim to be an expert in every aspect of firearms, there's huge areas that escape my knowledge base, but if you've got questions I'll do my best to answer.
Technical questions
Gun control proposals for feasibility
Industry
Training
Wacky opinions
General geekery
Some competition links (not my own) just for the interested.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=U5IhsWamaLY&t=173
https://youtube.com/watch?v=93nEEINflXE
https://youtube.com/watch?v=utcky0zq10E
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Notes -
I've never fired a gun in my life. My dad owned some guns but never shared them with me. I've got it in my head that I should own a shotgun, rifle, and handgun, and learn to use them.
My questions:
Is my pistol/rifle/shotgun trio dumb? Which one of the three is best to start with?
Speaking of starting, what's the first place I should when I decide to actually move forward?
And finally, my biggest concern is storage. My state has storage laws, I think, and my wife has concerns, I know. My dad has a locked closet in the basement with his guns (50 years old at least), what should I expect to use?
If you've never shot a gun, you should start by trying to shoot a rifle. It is significantly more manageable than a pistol. Many ranges offer rentals, and I'd try renting an AR-15 or a small-caliber bolt-action before making any purchases.
Your best bet for learning is probably talking to an experienced shooter. Many of us like to introduce newbies. If that's not an option, look for classes. Handgun classes are the most common, but many ranges do offer "basics" for handguns or rifles.
What's your intended use case? There's nothing dumb about wanting to own multiple guns, especially for sport. If you have any expectation of needing one for self-defense, that changes the priorities.
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