Oh, and 10 year old boys fire Uzi's fine.
One boy is tragically dead because a mini uzi rotated up on full auto and shot his head.
The advice to learn to handle a gun is very good.
The other aspect of this to consider is the moral consequences.
Do not buy a gun for protection unless you are prepared to make the instantaneous moral decision that a human being threatening your life with a weapon has now lost his right to life.
I many gun owners who have no really thought this through, or think the “scare factor” is enough. Some frankly admit they could not take a human life.