Shooting can be an expensive hobby, just like any hobby.  But it doesn't have to be that expensive, there is some essential equipment that you will need, and there are ways of obtaining that economically.  If you are new shooting and are not a gun owner, I recommend either going out with a friend who owns a gun or gun to a local range that rents guns to try some out.  Many ranges, especially indoor ranges rent firearms.  However in addition to the guns and ammo there is some essential equipment for your shooting outing.  
Eye Protection:  This is the most important piece of equipment, and it is often neglected.  I see it all the time too on the Internet of people shooting without eye protection, I have even been guilty of it from times past.  But I will not be caught out shooting without it.  Eye protection saved me one time years ago, it wasn't even really eye protection as much as it was me keeping my sunglasses on.  Someone I know made an exploding target, and we were out in the desert shooting and when the target hit and exploded it sent a piece of gravel right right at my face and actually hit the bottom of the frame of my sunglasses barely missing the side of my face and hit my earlobe as it went past.  Now I know shooting exploding targets isn't the most responsible thing in the world to do, however if that gravel hit me or someone else in the eye it could have taken an eye out.  

Just yesterday I was at my local range shooting on some steel bobbers (steel pop up targets) and a piece of copper jacket (aka splatter) from the bullet hit the steel target and caught me in the leg and embedded in my shin.  Splatter is super hot and it hit me with some serious force.  This type of incident isn't uncommon and if you get hit in the naked eye with a hot piece of copper jacket at and incredilbe speed your eye is gone.  So go and buy some shooting glasses.  I bought mine at Wal-Mart for around $6, and I will not shoot without them.

The other piece of essential equipment is hearing protection.  There are many types of hearing protection, but for new shooters keep it simple with ear muffs or foam ear plugs.  You can get a set of ear plugs for $.30 some places so there is no excuse for not buying some.  Every couple years I will buy a box of the orange foam ear pugs and keep some in my range bag and also in my vehicle.  Someone will always forget hearing protection, and that someone includes you.  The ear muffs I have currently I purchased at Harbor Feeight tools on sale for $3.00 and I like them more than some of the $15 dollar models I have also owned,

I remember the first time I shot a hand gun I was probably 6-7 years old.  It was my dad's .22 revolver, which he still owns, it has a dark blued frame with pearl looking handles.  He also had this tan leather holster that looked like something a cowboy would keep that very gun in, and I loved cowboy and western movies.  I even had a coon skin cap ( a fake one I get at Disney Land) due to a recent obsession I had with Davey Crocket at the time.  So I took this cowboy looking gun and pointed it out across the barren southern Nevada desert like I had pictured Davey Crocket doing, cocked it, and pulled the trigger.  After this amazing experience I experienced something that I had never experienced before that was as equally frightening as shooting like a cowboy was exciting; a ringing in my ears.  I had never experienced this sensation in my 6-7 years of life and I thought I was going deaf and would have to learn sign language like Linda the deaf lady on Seasame Street.  To my relief I still have my hearing which appears to still be pretty good to everyone except my wife.

This experience prompted me to attempt to use hearing protection starting at a very young age.  Working in this industry I have many friends who didn't use hearing protection that often when they would shoot and have sustained permanent hearing loss.  

Where you are starting out invest in some hearing protection and eye protection early on; make it a habit.

I frequently get asked: What gun should I buy?  To that question I respond: What do you want to use it for?  What follows is a combination of the following answers: home defense, to go shooting, concealed carry, teach my kids to shoot, so my wife feels comfortable while I am gone, so I feel comfortable while my husband is gone, hunting….The list goes on with these types of answers.  More often than not people are surprised when I respond there that their list is accomplished by many guns and usually not just one.  

What I mean by that is they gun you usually want to carry is not the gun you want to defend your home with.  Your home defense gun is not always the most fun to go to the range with.  Your gun is not always the best for your wife.  Hopefully you are starting to see the picture. 

Many are confused by this knowledge and I have found the following metaphor very helpful:  Guns are like golf clubs. you are not going for a long drive with your putter, it will get to the hole eventually but really it is not the best club to use.  As well as your chipping wedge is not the best club to use on the green for the short shot to put in the hole.  

Guns have many uses and you do not necessarily need a separate gun for every separate use.  For example you may want a shotgun to go shoot clay pigeons with, this can also be an effective home defense weapon as well.  Some may argue that you will need one shotgun for home defense and another for shooting the clays.  Those opinions are valid and in many cases are correct.  But you do not need to go out and buy a whole quiver of guns to have the right ones right now.  

Though many may drool at the concept of purchasing an entire arsenal at once, those that live in the real world and make real word wages cannot always afford to do that.  Also if you do not currently have a gun in the home then the one that you bought to shoot skeet with is better than the one that you previously had; no gun.

The next few articles will highlight the different types of guns and their respective uses.  This will hopefully make the gun buying experience more enjoyable and educational for you.

Sign up for the newsletter here