When I was talking to the instructor, I told him the last time I had fired any type of gun (prior to going to the range with my friend just to get an idea of what I might want to own) is when I shot a BB gun in Girl Scouts to earn my badge. That was 40 years ago!
I’m like you; I’ve always supported gun ownership but never felt the need. Was raised in a single parent home, so wasn’t around guns growing up. Don’t know that I’ll ever be like my friend, who owns everything from a Colt 45 to AR-15 and everything in between, but as a single female it might come in handy one day. If nothing else, it’ll give me a hobby in my old age.
I’ve been a gun owner all my adult life. Helps me sleep better. I bought my daughter her own handgun before she left for Wisconsin.
Give a 32 acp a try. Little to no recoil, yet there is now ammo which makes that little gun very lethal. There may still be used police Beretta 32s at J&G Sales and other online sources. The 32 acp ammo is very available for practice because the caliber fell out of favor. I carry one Beretta in 32 acp because at my age (75) recoil is an issue. I have gotten good with the little casliber, hitting water filled milk jugs ate thirty feet consistently. With the extreme cavitator rounds those jugs just explode! The CZ 70 pistols are very good and available as 32 acp. I also carry a KelTec P32, with ten round magazines.