Well, I'll tackle this. Troll or not, he raises some common, and not so common questions which deserve to be answered.
Unfortunately; there are many questions that need to be answered.
Welcome to the forum. Here are some answers:
First, why do you want to own a hand gun?
Primarily self-protection. Shotguns and rifles aren't easily carried while out and about; pepper spray is useless until the perp is close enough to kill you with a knife; and pepper spray, tasers, and hand-to-hand combat is useless against an armed attacker who keeps his distance. In short, a hand gun is the only easily-carried fully defensible means of armament available for the majority of defensive situations common to honest, law-abiding citizens.
Does your state require you to pass a gun safety cource to own a pistol before you buy a hand gun...
OpenCarry.org (OCDO) has a great maps section which answers this question for all 50 states. You should check it out.
[are] you better check the laws in the state you live in by going to the local police station & ask for a hand gun rule book or to a gun dealership to find out the local laws, for personal protection, for sporting, shooting at a pistol range?
While local law enforcement might have a basic handbook regarding local laws, particularly with respect to concealed carry (CC), your best source of information are the online, up-to-date laws itself. OCDO's state-specific section (bottom of main page) will help you connect with others in your state who're up-to-speed on your state's laws and who can help you answer specific questions. Gun dealerships can also be a valuable resource, but your best bet is to query multiple sources and check their answers against the law as it is written and has been interpreted by case law in your state. If you find a discrepancy, bring it to the attention of someone in your state-specific forum! You might have stumbled across something the rest of us might want to know!
...at targets, you just want a hand gun at you home to have around out of sight just in case you get robbed or broken into, I bought & sold many hand guns as a Federal Licensed gun dealer in Massachusetts, Life Member of NRA, GOAL, etc, since retired.
Then you're not a newbie.
For me I rather go for a short barrel revolver, a 357 mag that also shoots 38's, practice with 38's, learn the gun, how does it fit your hand, is it too heavy fully loaded???, then with 357 mag like the old Smith & Wesson old model 19, nickel plated, life time guarantee for the manfacturer in Springfield, Ma, they take back any Smith & Wesson weapon, fix your problem, suggest what fires best in which ever gun you decide to buy for the rest of your life
Cool program. Wasn't aware of it.
I also have owned, carried, semi-auto hand guns, first choice is Smith & Wesson, 10 mm, nice light 10 mm with 13 rounds in a clip, yes, I know you will only need 1 shot...
If your aim is perfect, you will only need 1 shot. In reality, you will need as many shots as are required to stop the threat. If that's just one person, which is all too common these days for store robberies, you will probably need at least two, and might need as many as five or six. If there are three perps, you will probably need more shots than one magazine can hold, particularly if they're firing at you from cover. In low-crime areas I carry 33 rounds. In moderate or greater crime areas I carry 65 rounds.
I guess the rest are for practice, after putting 1 shot into a person & I sincerely hope you take a police combat course, even thou you may have to pay $500 for the combat course, it sure helps to have all the knowledge of your hand gun that you have lots of responsibility not just to yourself & your family members, but to the general public...
I disagree with your advice.
...more then 1 shot, is not called in most states self defense, it is called murder...
This is pure bullfeathers. It reflects a serious ignorance of the law in most states, and I'm hereby raising the bullfeather flag.
but police officials can shoot you more then 1 shot, unfortunately, police officials have other laws on their side that citizens do not have...
Police have exceedingly few additional laws on their side that citizens do not. If anything, they're held to a higher standard.
What
sometimes happens is that police and justice departments will often treat a police shooting differently than a civilian shooting. For example, unscrupulous departments may treat a police shooting as it's "innocent until overwhelming, incontrovertible, and publicly-available evidence forces us to take any action other than innocent (and we can't even say "guilty" as we'll pull out all stops to get them off)," while treating a civilian shooting as "Ooops! You were trying to play cop, weren't you? Tsk-tsk-tsk, let's see what we can do to make an example out of you."
Fortunately, that "sometimes" is rare.
I was always taught to put 1 shot right into the throat, if he or she is wearing a bullet proof vest, the decision is yours????
By whom? Whoever gave you that advice was an idiot. A person's throat is less than one-quarter the area of one's head. Furthermore, if you hit the head, even with a glancing blow, it's like whacking someone over the head with a 2x4. Might not put 'em down, but it'll sure shake 'em up.
Standard procedure taught throughout the military and various local and federal law enforcement is "Two to the chest, one to the head." And by "chest" they mean "center body mass," so it's really closest to one's solar plexus.
Speaking of which: "
The celiac plexus is often popularly referred to as the solar plexus, generally in the context of a blow to the stomach. In many of these cases, it is not the celiac plexus itself being referred to, but rather the region where it is located. A blow to the stomach can upset this region. This can cause the diaphragm to spasm, resulting in difficulty in breathing—a sensation commonly known as "getting the wind knocked out of you". A blow to this region can also affect the celiac plexus itself, possibly interfering with the functioning of the viscera, as well as causing great pain." -
Source
A shot to one's solar plexus will put a damper in anyone's day.
As I said, harleyowner, welcome to the forum. As you can see, however, we're well-informed, honest, law-abiding citizens. Please keep that in mind.