RE: high point firearms
If it's all you can afford, then it's all you can afford. However, you definitely get what you pay for. A friend purchased one of these in 9mm years ago for "home defense". Compared to my (yes, more expensive) beretta and my well-used S&W, the Hi-Point felt more like a club than a handgun. Nor did it shoot as well. "Point" was about all I could muster with it. Reliability was pretty low, too. It may havejust had a bad magazine, but I just wasn't impressed by it.
Definitely not a handgun I'd PREFER defending my family with, unless it were the only thing available (beats a stick, I suppose). I think you could pick up a used auto(Beretta, Smith, Glock, Springfield, maybe even a SIG)somewhere and likely still have a more reliable gun.