after selling thousands of hand guns,
my advice is this
start with a 22 as noted, BUT when picking the gun, pick the gun that feels best in your hands and NOT the gun, me or XYZ tell you you, YOU should buy
a gun that fits your hands , you will shoot better and enjoy it more as such
and I agree with getting some training at a good shooting school that has safety test, for you to learn proper ways to both be safe and to learn how to shoot well
FORM matters
after decades of teaching new and well no so new shooters,
the one thing I learned most, is, its a LOT easier to teach a person that knows NOTHING< the RIGHT way to hold and aim and about proper shooting form, than it is to RE teach or break someones BAD habits
learn things right from the start and you will be light years ahead of many folks that have been shooting for yrs!
BAD form is HARD to bear, all the more so on folks that THINK they know what there doing and be stubborn to advice on how to improve them!
and DON"T be intimidated of learning to shoot, by being VERY close to the targets
start close, get confidence and learn, then back up as your experience develops!
and last,
in my experience,
its a LOT easier to learn to shoot with a rifle than it is with a handgun!,
and again a .22 rules this as a starting caliber, ammo is typically the cheapest and there are so many options on rifles, your bound to find one you like and fits you,
and possibly cheap , as there are typically lots of used one's about as well as starter rifles in budgets most all can afford
sitting at a bench, learning from someone that knows how to teach, can make you feel ahead of the game faster, IMO< than trying to start off with a pistol
we all have to start some place if interest is there, as we all didn;'t grow up in hunting and shooting families
I know I didn't, but desire to learn , made me into the hunter shooter I am today!
there is NO shortage of info out there these days too or places to be TAUGHT how too
I learned more the hard way LOL