A pistol and rifle/shotgun each. Ideally all 3. If you don’t know where to start I suggest the following.

An AR variant in 5.56 is a great first rifle. Easy to use, easy to shoot, lots of aftermarket support and commonly available ammo (if you’re not in the middle of a pandemic)

A non-revolver pistol in either 9mm or 45 from a reputable brand is a great starting pistol. I personally don’t like glocks but anything from Glock, Sig, S&W, or other well known Brands will be great. It’s probably best not to use a revolver as your first pistol, and to hold off on buying one until you are more familiar with guns.

I would also suggest a .22 of some kind. Ammo is very inexpensive and they are great for teaching beginners how to shoot. They are also useful in a survival situation as you can kill many small animals with one, and in self defense a .22lr is better than having literally nothing.

Shotguns can be great for home defense and hunting a variety of targets depending on what ammo you use. I’d suggest a pump action 12 gauge for a first one. If you absolutely can’t stand the recoil of a 12 gauge then a 20 Gauge would be better than not having one but if you can you should go for a 12 gauge.

A pistol and rifle/shotgun each. Ideally all 3. If you don’t know where to start I suggest the following.

An AR variant in 5.56 is a great first rifle. Easy to use, easy to shoot, lots of aftermarket support and commonly available ammo (if you’re not in the middle of a pandemic)

A non-revolver pistol in either 9mm or 45 from a reputable brand is a great starting pistol. I personally don’t like glocks but anything from Glock, Sig, S&W, or other well know. Brands will be great. It’s probably best not to use a revolver as your first pistol, and to hold off on buying one until you are more familiar with guns.

I would also suggest a .22 of some kind. Ammo is very inexpensive and they are great for teaching beginners how to shoot. They are also useful in a survival situation as you can kill many small animals with one, and in self defense a .22lr is better than having literally nothing.

Shotguns can be great for home defense and hunting a variety of targets depending on what ammo you use. I’d suggest a pump action 12 gauge for a first one. If you absolutely can’t stand the recoil of a 12 gauge then a 20 Gauge would be better than not having one but if you can you should go for a 12 gauge.

A pistol and rifle/shotgun each. Ideally all 3.