New Gun Owner with a Few Questions...

I live in Louisville and have been recently pondering buying a gun for my wife and I. I've never owned a gun before and am 29 so no age issues or anything. Do I need to obtain a permit or something? I do plan on OCing sometimes and I'd like to know the laws on that, I mean can I go to the grocery store with my gun in my holster?

Even though I know how to handle a gun, I'm sort of illiterate in guns. I would probably just go to a local gun store and buy a Colt .45 or something and end up paying $700 but I know there are better and cheaper ways to get a gun but just don't know how or where. Some insight on this would be awesome. I mean do I need something to buy a gun from a store?

The way I see it is that the 2nd amendment permits me to own a gun no questions asked so I should be able to buy a gun, OC and all that without any problems and if a cop came to me I would show them the Constitution.

Anyone who can help me in my decision to purchase my first gun would be awesome. I greatly appreciate it.

Thank you and I'm glad to have found this awesome forum.

Kentucky is a great state for firearm owners. You don't need a FOID card to purchase your firearm as you would in Illinois. All you need is an ID to prove who you are. You can open carry more places than you can CC, and honestly the list of places you can't carry is incredibly small. I suggest you read the relative laws regarding gun possession and such. It's not much to read and pretty simple to understand. Once you get into the concealed carry statues they get a bit long and convoluted. Following are a few links you should read.

http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/237-00/CHAPTER.HTM

http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/244-00/125.PDF

http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/527-00/CHAPTER.HTM

Howdy and welcome. For $700 you can pick up two pistols, one for you and one for your wife. As to what model or caliber to buy, I can't say one which is better than the other. Everyone has their reasons for choosing their specific model or caliber.

9mm doesn't kick like a .357 sp would. 44 Magnum might be overkill for some. 22 cal is a perfect target gun and inexpensive shot, but you might feel safer with something with more kick behind it.

A lot of people started with a 22 cal and worked up from there. Some say start out with 9mm instead. You can find a decent 22 cal pistol for $200 -$250 used. Revolver or semi auto? I like a revolver over semi, but that's my choice. If you start out with a 22 cal , you could always resell it later on. Ruger 22 caliber semi is a good first target gun. Some have said 9 mm Glock is a great self defense gun.

Go to a target range and ask others what they think, see if they will let you shoot their weapon to check recoil, ease of loading and accuracy and so on.

Good Luck!

Hej, welcome. I would also suggest you start with a .22 especially if you are going to introduce your wife into shooting, I would try to find a good target .22 in a revolver or semi-auto. whichever you get, would obtain the same for your carry. If you keep them the same, your practice will go better. BTW: .45 colt is a very good caliber in a revolver IF you reload your own ammo. otherwise it is a bit expensive.

For a revolver example you might look at something like an officer's match model colt in .22, and a second officers model in .38. They are identical, except for caliber. (both are no longer manufactured, and probably quite a bit more then you wish to spend for nice examples of those particular revolvers, just used as an example of the concept.)

In the semi-auto world there is a pistol called the CZ-75 (9mm), and there is the Kadet (same weapon in .22), or you could get a Kadet conversion kit for a Cz-85 you already own. I am sure there are others, but these examples are of what I own. Personally, I like CZ semi-autos and Colt revolvers (I own several different models and calibers of each). Other's prefer other manufacturers products. I also like old High Standard target pistols like my wife's Trophy and Olympic.

It is a lot less expensive to shoot .22 for practice, and leave the more expensive ammo for carry. In this game, practice is absolutely necessary, I think you will find you wife will also enjoy shooting a .22 more than a larger caliber. Some basic firearms training would be a good investment to make, maybe even before you purchase your first pistol if the instructor will loan you weapons to shoot in teh training sessions. A little experience with different weapons and you will quickly find what you like, and what you don't. Some gun ranges will rent guns too..again, a way to experience more variety without a huge outlay.

Good luck, and welcome to OCDO

There are a lot of web sites like gunbroker and gunsamerica that you can "shop" so you can find what various weapons cost. If you want to purchase new, Bud's has almost everything, and he is there in Kentucky. again, shop the web site so you get an idea what the prices are. Once you have more experience with different pistols you will form your what you personally prefer.