Hello everyone and thank you to INGO for being an invaluable tool in my research of firearms, safety, and laws. A couple months ago I made the decision to obtain a handgun and my LTCH. Even though I have always been a firm believer in the Second Amendment I had never personally had the desire to own a firearm. However, after the increase in horrid mass shootings and proposed draconian gun law I decided that there may not be a better time for me to become familiar with firearms. These things coupled with several recent local shootings where robbers murdered their victims in spite of getting what they were after led me to purchase my first Handgun. The final straw was when my friend from work's friend was shot in the head during a gas station robbery and the robber skipped away. I feel very safe in my location and I VERY rarely go anywhere questionable, but now-a-days that doesn't really matter.
After much deliberation I decided on the S&W M&P Shield 9mm and I apparently hit the jackpot as my local shop had just received their first one without a manual safety. So far my girlfriend and I have put 400 rounds through it with very few issues. I did have a couple malfunctions (failure to feeds I believe) in the first 100 rounds but that was likely due to it being the first time I've shot a gun and not lubricating the slide out of the box (My girlfriend didn't have any issues and incidentally is a better shot than me). After giving it a good cleaning and lube I put 250 rounds through it in an hour without issue (I'll have to make sure I watch myself, bullets fly when you're having fun).
Hopefully my LTCH will arrive in the mail any day now. I still feel I have a bit to go before I feel confident in my ability to carry but I plan to carry concealed as to not alarm the livestock. I still need to purchase a holster before I am willing to carry, I was leaning toward a Remora and eventually a crossbreed if I find IWB to be my best option. I can't carry at work and I always wear pants with large pockets so I figured a Remora might be a cheap universal option to try out to find my best fit. I definitely need something that is easily removable and pocket carry seems like it would be the best option during the work week.
Thanks for reading my ramblings!
After much deliberation I decided on the S&W M&P Shield 9mm and I apparently hit the jackpot as my local shop had just received their first one without a manual safety. So far my girlfriend and I have put 400 rounds through it with very few issues. I did have a couple malfunctions (failure to feeds I believe) in the first 100 rounds but that was likely due to it being the first time I've shot a gun and not lubricating the slide out of the box (My girlfriend didn't have any issues and incidentally is a better shot than me). After giving it a good cleaning and lube I put 250 rounds through it in an hour without issue (I'll have to make sure I watch myself, bullets fly when you're having fun).
Hopefully my LTCH will arrive in the mail any day now. I still feel I have a bit to go before I feel confident in my ability to carry but I plan to carry concealed as to not alarm the livestock. I still need to purchase a holster before I am willing to carry, I was leaning toward a Remora and eventually a crossbreed if I find IWB to be my best option. I can't carry at work and I always wear pants with large pockets so I figured a Remora might be a cheap universal option to try out to find my best fit. I definitely need something that is easily removable and pocket carry seems like it would be the best option during the work week.
Thanks for reading my ramblings!
to 
One more item to add to your 'to do' list would be firearms classes and more particularly, defensive firearm classes. Plenty of info on both here in the forums. Also, check out the general forum rules and FAQ's then post away!
