On my list of essentials is a shotgun.  Specifically a 12 gauge shot gun.  Wile there are many good brands of shotguns, and it is hard to screw up a pump the ones I like the best for the new gun owner are Remington  and Mossberg.  

Now before you cry treason hear me out on this.  The reason why I selected those two brands over other guns some of which I agree are better, like Benelli, is because they are more simple.  They may not be the smoothest or the fanciest but they are really simple to maintain.  I have owned and do own a few shotguns, and I have shot a quite a few more.  There are some great guns out there, but for a newer gun owner or just a first time shotgun owner these two brands make a good solid gun that is easy to take apart and clean, and most importantly are incredibly reliable .  I am not saying that these are the best brands, but to you they actually might be, I am just saying that they are good solid brands that will help give you an idea of what you may want in the future.  

Recently a few buddies and I were out shooting shoguns and got into a bit of a competition; like you do with alpha male types.  I had forgotten my shotgun that day so I was using a friends Benelli pump and it shot so good.  However what I like about the Remington and Mossberg is how few of moving parts there are inside of them, the Benelli was super smooth and shot so good, but to make it that smooth there were hundreds if moving parts inside as opposed to a few dozen with the other brands.  There are fewer things to go wrong with the products I am suggesting.  

Why this is important is while out shooting clays are fun, most people buy a shotgun with home defense in mind.  While most will never have to use it for that, they like knowing they have the option.  Most will spend their time shooting clay pigeons and that is great.  My point is why would you buy a shotgun, like the Benelli, with home defense in mind and run the risk of having one of the many more moving parts in the Benelli go bad in a situation when you need it.  This is classic a K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) model.

Mossberg and Remington pump shotguns run between $200-$350, not something that will break t.he bank.  So if you really like shooting clays  or other styles of shotgun shooting then also invest in a nicer shooting shotgun and use the Remington or Mossberg as a dedicated home defense gun.  

So often I am asked what is the best gun for concealed carry.  I even frequently am asked this question by people without a concealed carry permit.  This is even a question I often ask myself, and so does the firearms community.  There is much debate as to what is the best gun to carry.  

My answer is a bit different than many, who will come out with an authoritative (insert gun type here) response.  I believe that you should carry the largest gun that you are comfortable and willing to carry.  What I mean by this is if you are a person who cannot stand having your keys in your pocket then carry the smallest gun that is out there.  If you are a person who still wears MC Hammer pant and wears a fanny pack then carry a cannon.  

Many will argue that certain calibers are not good for concealed carry because they lack the stopping power of a larger weapon.  This may be correct, if you have some crazy guy hopped up on PCP then a .22 will not stop the lunatic dead in his tracks unless you have a perfect shot; which under stress is highly unlikely to occur even with the best shooters.

Others argue that larger guns lack the accuracy that may be needed to actually hit someone with the bullet that comes out the end, or may be too slow to draw to get into the fight.  This is also true in some cases, in most circumstances you only have a few moments to get into action to defend yourself before the fight is over and when you do you may only have one shot and it better be a good one.

My point is you may have the best self defense gun in the world but if you don't have it on you it is no good.  So the best self defense concealed carry firearm is the one that you have and are willing to carry all the time.  

Also with most recommendations I give when purchasing a firearm try before you buy. 

If you are going to own a firearm you need to be responsible with it.  Too often I see careless or useless storage of weapons in people's homes and vehicles.  

What I mean by careless storage is people leaving their weapons out in areas that are not well hidden.  This presents two problems that are characterized as accidents and thieves.  I have a toddler and the last thing in the world that I want is for her to stumble upon one of my guns and seriously hurt or kill herself or someone else by accident.  Gun owners need to store their weapons as if there are children in their home, because one day there may be.  Prior to my having children my wife and I would have friends and family over who had children.  Too often they ended up in our room looking for things to play with.  If I didn't have my guns locked and hidden well this could have been a problem

Recently I was helping someone move and I was in their garage and saw several rifle cases strewn about in the garage within open sight.  Though the weapons were not loaded and the ammunition was not visible this I feel is just as serious of a problem, the garage was open people were all around both helping with the move and saying there goodbyes.  It would have been so easy to walk into the garage and walk out with a arm full of arms.  Now you have guns out there in the hands of criminals that have the potential to be used in violent crimes.  I am not saying blame doesn't lie with the offenders of the crime, because it does, but you won't see me being an armory for bad guys anytime soon.  (As a side note I moved the weapons into my vehicle and locked them until they were ready to be packed in the moving vehicle)

This last example also helps illustrate my next point and that is useless storage.  I talk to way too many people that buy guns for "home defense" and "personal protection" that have no access to them.  If I a bad guy breaks into your home he usually doesn't want to wait for you to wake up and run to the garage find your gun then load it in order for you to shoot him.  Home invaders just don't have that kind of time to wait around, they have others homes to pillage, other people's lives to ruin, police to evade, caskets to pick out, etc.  So be respectful to your local bad guys have in a safe place that you can get quick access too because they usually are in a hurry to get someplace, even if it is to the morgue.